Sudan faces gunfire, exploding shells, arrival of explosive barrels or stray bullets
Date
12/29/2024 6:51:27 AM
(MENAFN) The sounds of gunfire, exploding shells, and the arrival of explosive barrels or stray bullets are not new to Sudan, but what has changed is that these conflicts have now moved from the peripheral regions to the heart of the country, Khartoum. This has forced both the government and the military leadership to relocate to an alternative capital, Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, about 1,000 kilometers away. Previously, wars in Sudan were seen as rebellions against the state, rooted in the conflict between the "center," which controls everything, and the "margins," which are neglected and deprived. These were viewed as wars for demands and rights. However, under the rule of Islamist President Omar al-Bashir, the conflict evolved from a war for rights to a "religious war" between the predominantly Muslim north and the Christian or secular south. This culminated in the secession of South Sudan in 2011 and its recognition as an independent state by the United Nations.
Analysts argue that the root causes of Sudan's wars lie in the absence of a cohesive "national project" and a failure to acknowledge the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. Sudan lacks a unified political, cultural, and economic system that can embrace this diversity. Although the current conflict is between two "regular" armies, its origins trace back to the long-standing issues of marginalization and the refusal to recognize diversity—problems that sparked the first rebellion in 1955, led by the Ananya 1 forces, named after a cobra snake.
The first war ended with the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, but flare-ups occurred again in 1983 following President Jaafar Nimeiri’s declaration of Islamic law. This led to the formation of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by John Garang, and transformed the conflict into a religious jihadist war. The conflict lasted years, claiming over two million lives. Despite years of fighting, the army and its Islamist supporters could not achieve a decisive victory. They were eventually forced to sign the Naivasha Agreement, a peace treaty brokered under international pressure. The agreement granted South Sudan the "right to self-determination," allowing the region to choose between remaining part of Sudan or seceding. This led to a five-year transitional period, which saw the tragic death of Garang in a helicopter crash, with his successor, Salva Kiir, taking over as the first president of South Sudan.
In 2011, a referendum was held in South Sudan, and the majority voted for secession, leading to the formation of the Republic of South Sudan. This caused Sudan to lose a third of its territory, a quarter of its population, and 75% of its wealth and resources. The conflict later spread to the western region of Darfur, where new rebel groups emerged in 2003, accusing the government of continued marginalization and persecution under the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).
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