Southern Sudan General View

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"Southern Sudan" redirects here. For the former autonomous regions of Sudan, seeGovernment

of Southern Sudan (19721983)andGovernment of Southern Sudan (20052011).

Republic of South Sudan

Flag Coat of arms

Motto: "Justice, Liberty, Prosperity"

Anthem: "South Sudan Oyee!"

Capital

(and largest city)

Juba

0451N 3136E4.85N 31.6E

Official language(s) English[1][2]

Recognized

national languages

All South Sudanese

indigenous languages[3]

Demonym South Sudanese

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GovernmentFederalpresidential

democraticrepublic

-

President Salva Kiir Mayardit

-

Vice President Riek Machar

Legislature National Legislature

-

Upper House Council of States

-

Lower House National Legislative Assembly

Independence fromSudan

-

Comprehensive Peace

Agreement

6 January 2005

-

Autonomy 9 July 2005

-

Independence 9 July 2011

Area

-

Total

619,745 km2(45th)

239,285 sq mi

Population

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-

2008 census 8,260,490 (disputed)[4](94th)

GDP(nominal) 2011 estimate

-

Total $13.227 billion[5]

-

Per capita $1,546[5]

Currency South Sudanese pound(SSP)

Time zone East Africa Time(UTC+3)

Drives on the right

ISO 3166 code SS

Internet TLD.ss[6](registered but not yet

operational)

Calling code +211[7]

South Sudan( i/sasudn/or/sudn/), officially the Republic of South Sudan,[8]is alandlocked countryusually considered to be a part ofNorth Africa[9]orEastern Africa. Itscurrent capital isJuba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to themore centrally-locatedRamcielin the future.[10]South Sudan is bordered byEthiopiato the east,Kenyato the southeast,Ugandato the south, theDemocratic Republic of the Congoto the

southwest, theCentral African Republicto the west, andSudanto the north. South Sudanincludes the vastswampregion of theSuddformed by theWhite Nile, locally called theBahr alJabal.

What are now the modern states of South Sudan and Sudan were part ofEgyptunder theMuhammad Ali Dynasty, later being governed as anAnglo-Egyptian condominiumuntilSudanese independence was achieved in 1956. Following theFirst Sudanese Civil War, theSouthern Sudan Autonomous Regionwas formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. Asecond

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Sudanese civil warsoon developed and ended with theComprehensive Peace Agreementof2005. Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when anAutonomous Government ofSouthern Sudanwas formed. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011.[11][12]On14 July 2011, South Sudan became aUnited Nations member state.[13][14]It joined theAfricanUnionon 28 July 2011.[15]

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries with possibly the worst health situation in theworld.[16]

Contents

1 History 2 Politics

o 2.1 Government 2.1.1 Military 2.1.2 Developing state capacity 2.1.3 National capital project

o 2.2 States and countieso 2.3 Mediao 2.4 Foreign relationso 2.5 Human rights

3 Geographyo 3.1 Fauna, flora, and mycobiota

4 Demographicso 4.1 Educationo 4.2 Languages

4.2.1 Indigenous languages 4.2.2 Nonindigenous languages

o 4.3 Population 4.3.1 2008 census 4.3.2 2009 census

o 4.4 Religion 5 Culture

o 5.1 Games and sports 6 Economy

o 6.1 Oil 7 Transport

o 7.1 Railwayo 7.2 Air

8 Humanitarian situation 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links

o 12.1 Government

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[edit] History

Main article:History of South Sudan

TheNiloticpeoplestheDinka,Nuer,Shillukand othersfirst entered South Sudan sometime

before the 10th century. During the period from the 15th century to the 19th century, tribalmigrations, largely from the area ofBahr el Ghazal, brought these peoples to their modernlocations. The non-NiloticAzandepeople, who entered South Sudan in the 16th century,established the region's largest state. The Azande are the third or fourth largest ethnic group inSouth Sudan (either the Azande or the Bari are third largest). They are found in the Maridi,Yambio, andTamburadistricts in thetropical rainforestbelt ofWestern EquatoriaandWesternBahr el Ghazal. In the 18th century, the Avungarasibrose to power over the rest of Azandesociety and this domination continued into the 20th century.[17]Geographical barriers preventedthe spread of Islam to the southerners, thus enabling them to retain their social and culturalheritage as well as their political and religious institutions.

John Garang de Mabiorled theSudan People's Liberation Armyuntil his death in 2005.

The Azande have had difficult relations with the neighbours, namely theMoru,Mundu,Pjulu,and the small groups inBahr el Ghazal, due to the expansionist policy of their King,Gbudwe, inthe 18th century. In the nineteenth century the Azande fought theFrench, theBelgiansand theMahdiststo maintain their independence.Egypt, under the rule ofKhediveIsma'il Pasha, firstattempted to control the region in the 1870s, establishing the province ofEquatoriain the

southern portion. Egypt's first governor wasSamuel Baker, commissioned in 1869, followed byCharles George Gordonin 1874 and byEmin Pashain 1878. TheMahdist Revoltof the 1880sdestabilised the nascent province, and Equatoria ceased to exist as an Egyptian outpost in 1889.Important settlements in Equatoria includedLado,Gondokoro,DufileandWadelai. In 1947,British hopes to join South Sudan withUgandawere dashed by theJuba Conferenceto unifyNorth and South Sudan.

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It is estimated that South Sudan region has a population of 8 million ,[18]but given the lack of acensus in several decades, this estimate may be severely distorted. The economy ispredominantly rural and relies chiefly on subsistence farming.[18]In the middle of the 2000s, theeconomy began a transition from this rural dominance and urban areas within South Sudan haveseen extensive development. The region has been negatively affected by two civil wars since

Sudanese independencethe Sudanese government fought theAnyanyarebel army from 1955to 1972 in theFirst Sudanese Civil Warand then theSudan People's Liberation Army/Movement(SPLA/M) in theSecond Sudanese Civil Warfor almost twenty-one years after the founding ofSPLA/M in 1983resulting in serious neglect, lack of infrastructural development, and majordestruction and displacement. More than 2.5 million people have been killed, and more than 5million have become externally displaced while others have been internally displaced, becomingrefugeesas a result of the civil war and war-related impacts.

A referendumwas held from 9 to 15 January 2011 to determine if South Sudan should declare itsindependence from Sudan, with 98.83% of the population voting for independence. (The resultsfor that referendum were released on 30 January 2011.)[19]Those living in the north and

expatriates living overseas also voted.

[20]

This led to a formal independence on 9 July, althoughcertain disputes still remain such as sharing of the oil revenues as an estimated 80% of the oil inthe nation is secured from South Sudan, which would represent amazing economic potential forone of the world's most deprived areas. The region ofAbyeistill remains disputed and a separatereferendum will be held in Abyei on whether they want to join North or South Sudan .[21]TheSouth Kordofan conflictbroke out in June 2011 between theArmy of Sudanand the SPLA overtheNuba Mountains.

Interethnic warfare that in some cases precedes the war of independence is widespread. Some ofthese hostilities occurred in Jonglei state, affecting the Murle tribe, and were documented byHuman Rights Watchin a 2009 report.[22]

South Sudan is at war with at least seven armed groups in nine of its ten states, with tens ofthousands displaced.[23]The fighters accuse the government of plotting to stay in powerindefinitely, not fairly representing and supporting all tribal groups while neglectingdevelopment in rural areas.[23][24]

[edit] Politics

[edit] Government

Main article:Politics of South Sudan

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Salva Kiir Mayardit, the first elected President of South Sudan

The now defunctSouthern Sudan Legislative Assemblyratified a Transitional Constitution[25]shortly before independence on 7 July 2011.[26]The Constitution was signed by the President onIndependence Day and thereby came into force. This is the supreme law of the land, supersedingthe Interim Constitution of 2005.[27]The constitution establishes a mixedpresidential systemofgovernment headed by aPresidentwho is Head of State, Head of Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. It also established theNational Legislaturecomprising two Houses:a directly elected assembly, theNational Legislative Assembly; and a second chamber ofrepresentatives of the States, theCouncil of States.John Garang, the founder of the SPLA/M wasthe first President of the autonomous government until his death on 30 July 2005. Salva KiirMayardit(surname Kiir),[8][28]his deputy, was sworn in as FirstVice Presidentof Sudan andPresidentof the Government of Southern Sudan on 11 August 2005.Riek Machar(surnameMachar)[8]replaced him asVice President. Legislative power is vested in the government and thebicameralNational Legislature. The Constitution also provides for an independent judiciary, thehighest organ being theSupreme Court.

[edit] Military

Main article:Armed forces of South Sudan

A Defense paper was initiated in 2007 by then Minister for SPLA Affairs Dominic Dim Deng,and a draft was produced in 2008. It declared that Southern Sudan would eventually maintainland, air, and riverine forces.[29][30]

[edit] Developing state capacity

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The post-conflict environment is important to understanding the Government of South Sudan'sability to function and successfully implement its policies. One area in which the Government ofSouth Sudan has had significant success in building its own capacity is developing an integratedsystem for planning and budget preparation.[31]This has been achieved through the strong anddetermined leadership of theMinistry of Finance, the strong technical leadership and support of

that same ministry and making these goals relevant to local capacity.

[31]

The results have beenthat the government has been better able to manage the financial aspects of its functions andprojects, and increases in the expertise of its staff in crucial skills, such as basic IT .[31]

[edit] National capital project

The capital of South Sudan is located atJuba, which is also the state capital ofCentral Equatoriaand the county seat of the eponymousJuba County, as well as being the country's largest city.However, due to poor infrastructure and massive urban overgrowth in the city, as well as its lackof centrality within South Sudan, the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan adopted aresolution in February 2011 to study the creation of a newplanned cityto act as the seat of the

government.

[32][33]

This proposed project is functionally similar to those which resulted in theconstruction ofAbuja,Nigeria;Naypyidaw,Myanmar; andBraslia,Brazil; among othernational capitals planned and built in the modern era. It is unclear where the government willcome up with funding for the project.

In September 2011, a spokesman for the government said the country's political leaders hadaccepted a proposal to build a new capital atRamciel,[34]a place inLakesstate near the borderswith Central Equatoria,Eastern Equatoria, andJonglei. Ramciel is considered to be thegeographical center of the country,[35]and the late pro-independence leaderJohn Garangallegedly had plans to relocate the capital there before his death in 2005. The proposal wassupported by the Lakes state government and at least one Ramciel tribal chief.[36]The design,

planning, and construction of the city will likely take as many as five years, governmentministers said, and the move of national institutions to the new capital will be implemented instages.[34]

[edit] States and counties

Main article:States of South Sudan

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The ten states of South Sudan grouped in the three historical provinces of the Sudan.Bahr el GhazalEquatoriaGreater Upper Nile

South Sudan is divided into tenstateswhich correspond to three historical regions of the Sudan:Bahr el Ghazal,Equatoria, andGreater Upper Nile.

Bahr el Ghazal

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal Lakes WarrapEquatoria

Western Equatoria Central Equatoria(containing the national capital city ofJuba) Eastern EquatoriaGreater Upper Nile

Jonglei Unity Upper Nile

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The ten states are further subdivided into 86counties.

TheAbyei Area, a small region of Sudan bordering on the South Sudanese states of NorthernBahr el Ghazal, Warrap, and Unity, currently has a special administrative status in Sudan and isgoverned by anAbyei Area Administration. It was due to hold areferendumin 2011 on whether

to join South Sudan or remain part of the Republic of Sudan, but in May the Sudanese militaryseized Abyei, and it is not clear if the referendum will be held.

[edit] Media

Main article:Media of South Sudan

While Information MinisterBarnaba Marial Benjaminvowed that South Sudan will respectfreedom of the pressand allow journalists unrestricted access in the country, the chief editor ofJubanewspaperThe Citizenclaimed that in the absence of a formal media law in the fledglingrepublic, he and his staff have faced abuse at the hands of security forces. This alleged fettering

of media freedom was attributed in anAl Jazeerareport to the difficultySPLMhas faced inreforming itself as a legitimate government after years of leading a rebellion against theSudanese government. The Citizen is South Sudan's largest newspaper, but poor infrastructureand poverty have kept its staff relatively small and limited the efficiency of both its reporting andits circulation outside of Juba, with no dedicated news bureaus in outlying states and newspapersoften taking several days to reach states likeNorthern Bahr el Ghazal.[37]

[edit] Foreign relations

Main article:Foreign relations of South Sudan

Since independence, relations with Sudan have been changing. Sudan's PresidentOmar al-Bashirfirst announced, in January 2011, that dual citizenship in the North and the South would beallowed,[38]but upon the independence of South Sudan he retracted the offer. He has alsosuggested an EU-style confederation.[39]Essam Sharaf, Prime Minister of Egypt after the2011Egyptian revolution, made his first foreign visit toKhartoumandJubain the lead-up to SouthSudan's secession.[40]Israel immediately recognized South Sudan as an independent country, andis host to thousands of refugees from South Sudan, who are now ready to return to their nativecountry.[41]

South Sudan is a member state of theUnited Nations[42]and theAfrican Union.[15][43]SouthSudan plans to join theCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africa,[44]theCommonwealth

of Nations,[45]

theEast African Community,[46][47]

theIntergovernmental Authority onDevelopment,[44]theInternational Monetary Fund,[48]and theWorld Bank.[49]Full membershipin theArab Leaguehas been assured, should the country's government choose to seek it,[50]though it could also opt for observer status.[51]

While the United States lifted all economic and political sanctions against South Sudan as of July2011, the sanctions imposed against neighboring Sudan, especially those relating to oil andfinancial sector transactions, will likely to continue to impact the new nation. A 2011

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Congressional Research Service report, The Republic of South Sudan: Opportunities and

Challenges for Africas Newest Country", identifies outstanding political and humanitarianissues as the country forges its future.[52]

[edit] Human rights

Main article:Human rights in South Sudan

Campaigns of atrocities against civilians has been attributed to the SPLA.[53]In the SPLA/M'sattempt to disarm rebellions among theShillukandMurle, they burned scores of villages,rapedhundreds of women and girls and killed an untold number of civilians .[53]Civilians allegingtortureclaim fingernails being torn out, burning plastic bags dripped on children to make theirparents hand over weapons and villagers burned alive in their huts if rebels were suspected ofspending the night there.[53]In May 2011, the SPLA allegedly set fire to over 7,000 homes inUnity State.[54]The UN reports many of these violations and the frustrated director of one Juba-based international aid agency calls them "human rights abuses off the Richter scale".[53]In 2010,

theCIAissued a warning that "over the next five years,...a new mass killing or genocide is mostlikely to occur in southern Sudan."[53]

[edit] Geography

This CIA map uses the provincial borders that existed at the time Sudan gained independence in1956. In 1960, small sections were transferred to northerly provinces. The Comprehensive PeaceAgreement of 2005 ending the second Sudanese civil war provided that the border betweensouthern and northern Sudan would be restored to its 1956 state.

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Satellite image of South SudanMain article:Geography of South Sudan

South Sudan lies between latitudes3and13N, and longitudes24and36E. It is covered in

tropical forest, swamps, and grassland. TheWhite Nilepasses through the country, passing byJuba.[38]

[edit] Fauna, flora, and mycobiota

This section does notciteanyreferences or sources. Please help improve thissection by adding citations toreliable sources. Unsourced material may bechallengedandremoved.(August 2011)

South Sudan's protected area ofBandingilo National Parkhosts the second-largestwildlifemigration in the world. Surveys have revealed thatBoma National Park, west of the Ethiopianborder, as well as theSuddwetland andSouthern National Parknear the border with Congo,provided habitat for large populations ofhartebeest,kob,topi,buffalo, elephants, giraffes, andlions. South Sudan's forest reserves also provided habitat forbongo,giant forest hogs,Red RiverHogs, forest elephants,chimpanzees, and forestmonkeys. Surveys begun in 2005 byWCSinpartnership with the semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan revealed that significant,though diminished wildlife populations still exist, and that, astonishingly, the huge migration of1.3 million antelopes in the southeast is substantially intact.

Habitats in the country include grasslands, high-altitude plateaus and escarpments, wooded andgrassy savannas, floodplains, and wetlands. Associated wildlife species include the endemicwhite-eared kob andNile Lechwe, as well as elephants, giraffes,Common Eland,Giant Eland,oryx, lions,African Wild Dogs, Cape Buffalo, and topi (locally called tiang). Little is knownabout the white-eared kob and tiang, both types ofantelope, whose magnificent migrations werelegendary before the civil war. The Boma-Jonglei Landscape region encompasses BomaNational Park, broad pasturelands and floodplains, Bandingilo National Park, and the Sudd, avast area of swamp and seasonally-flooded grasslands that includes the Zeraf Wildlife Reserve.

Little is known of the fungi of South Sudan. A list of fungi in Sudan was prepared by S.A.J. Tarrand published by the then Commonwealth Mycological Institute (Kew, Surrey, UK) in 1955. Thelist, of 383 species in 175 genera, included all fungi observed within the then boundaries of thecountry. Many of those records relate to what is now South Sudan. Most of the species recordedwere associated with diseases of crops. The true number of species of fungi occurring in SouthSudan is likely to be much higher. Nothing is known of the conservation status of fungi in SouthSudan although, like animals and plants, they are likely to be affected by climate change,pollution, and other threats.

In 2006, President Kiir announced that his government would do everything possible to protectand propagate South Sudanese fauna and flora, and seek to reduce the effects of wildfires, wastedumping, and water pollution. The environment is threatened by the development of theeconomy and infrastructure.