Southern Sudan
Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOU : Southern Sudan
| Southern Sudan | |
|
Flag of Southern Sudan | |
| |
| Official languages | English, Arabic |
| Capital | Juba |
| President | Cdr. Salva Kiir Mayardit |
| Vice-President | Dr. Riek Machar |
| Area | 597 000 km² |
| Population – Total (2005) – Density | perhaps 8,500,000 14/km² |
| Currency | Sudanese pound |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
Characteristics
The southern Sudanese practice mainly indigenous traditional beliefs, although Christian missionaries have converted some. The south also contains many tribal groups and many more languages are used than in the north. The Dinka, whose population is estimated at more than 1 million, is the largest of the many black African tribes of the Sudan. Other Nilotic tribes are the Shilluk and the Nuer. The Azande, and Jo Luo are 'Sudanic' tribes in the west, and the Acholi and Lotuhu live in the extreme south, extending into Uganda.The distinctive Juba pidgin Arabic is a widely used lingua franca in Southern Sudan, although the language of education and government business is English.
Legal and administrative structure
The relationship between autonomous Southern Sudan and the neighbouring areas of Blue Nile State, Nuba Mountains/Southern Kurdufan, and Abyei has yet to be definitively determined, although for the time being these are effectively part of the North.Southern Sudan consists of the ten states, formerly composing the provinces of Equatoria (namely Central Equatoria, East Equatoria, and West Equatoria), Bahr el Ghazal (North Bahr al Ghazal, West Bahr al Ghazal, Lakes, and Warab), and Upper Nile (Junqali, Wahdah, and Upper Nile).
Pending elections, seats in both the Southern Sudan Assembly and the Government of the Southern Sudan are to be divided in a fixed proportion between the SPLM (70%), the NCP (the former NIF) (15%), and "other Southern political forces" (15%). Before his death on 30 July 2005, longtime rebel leader John Garang was the President of Southern Sudan. Garang was succeeded by Salva Kiir Mayardit who was sworn in as first vice president of Sudan on 11 August 2005.
Independence
Southern independence is foreseen as a strong possibility for the future. Work by the USAID and other organizations has moved to create a centralized bank in the capital Juba and the region is being reorganized for status as a nation state. However, disagreement between the Sudan People's Liberation Army and rival southern groups may complicate moves to independence, as does the absence of a unifying charismatic figure after the death of long-time SPLA political leader John Garang in a helicopter accident in the summer of 2005. Garang's successor Silva Kiir is prominent within the SPLA largely through his reputation as a good soldier, rather than for his political leadership.[[Citing sources citation needed]] On the other hand, Kiir is thought to be more strongly in favour of independence than was Garang.[link]Modern history
The Southern region has a population of around 9 million and a predominantly rural, subsistence economy. This region has been negatively affected by the First and Second Sudanese Civil Wars for all but 10 years since independence in 1956, resulting in serious neglect, lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than 2 million people have died, and more than 4 million are internally displaced or have become refugees as a result of the civil war and war-related impacts.The region has been struck by occasional famine. A 1998 famine killed hundreds of thousands, while a food emergency was declared in mid-2005.
In recent years, a significant amount of foreign-based oil drilling has begun in Southern Sudan, raising the land's geopolitical profile abroad. The largest overseas consortium is controlled by; China, with a 40% stake, Malaysia, with 30%, and India, with 25%.[link] Canadian-based oil company Talisman withdrew operations in Sudan in 2003, due largely to external lobbying and pressure over political and human rights issues.
External links
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