This was compounded by a devastating famine in 1988. Her research and publications since 2001 have focused on the historical and contemporary role of chiefs in southern sudan, and related issues of governance, state. The roadmap to end the crisis including elections late 2015 presents only a shortterm answer and risks exacerbating existing tensions. Race and religion in civil war august 27, 20 this case study explores the background and bases for sudans two civil wars 19551972 and 19832005, which pitted the powerful muslim arabs in the north against the christian and indigenous black africans of the south. Religion plays a minor but significant role in the ongoing conflict in syria.
Conflict of national identity in sudan helda university of helsinki. Religious contributions to peacemaking n religion is a significant factor in the identity of one or both parts to the conflict. Sudanese conflict in south kordofan and blue nile wikipedia. Religious identity was an important, but not the only, dividing line between the northern and southern regions during both sudanese civil wars.
Conflict analysis and options for systemic conflict. The catholic church in sudan established a radio station, radio bakitha, in juba south sudan which informs people in their local language and also educates them for peace. Over the years the conflict in the sudan has been conceived in racial and religious terms. In the postcolonialism world, these conflicts continue still today. This article will address these and related questions, focusing primarily on the two civil wars between the sudanese government. How people in sudan are being persecuted for their choice of religion. In response, the government equipped and supported arab militiaswhich came. Conflicts of identities in the sudan, i came away with a profound respect for the scholarship and comprehensivenes of this writers work. United nations mission in the republic of south sudan unmiss since the outbreak of the conflict on 15 december. The dinka, the ethnic group that president kiir comes from, represents approximately, 35. The government actively promoted and enforced a strict interpretation of sunni islam and imposed reli. Sri lanka, formally called the democratic socialist republic of sri lanka, is an island state located close to and south of india.
The sudanese conflict in south kordofan and blue nile, also referred to by some media as the third sudanese civil war, is an ongoing armed conflict in the sudanese southern states of south kordofan and blue nile between the sudanese army saf and sudan peoples liberation movementnorth splmn, a northern affiliate of the sudan peoples liberation movement splm in south sudan. Religious conflicts on the rise in africa africa dw. Understanding the roots of conflict in south sudan. The vast majority of muslims in sudan are sunni belonging to the maliki school of islamic jurisprudence. A study by a german academic says religious conflicts in subsaharan africa have been on the rise for decades. South sudans civil war is the result of a weakly institutionalized state and may require the african unions intervention to find peace and. Morton bachelor of science university of pittsburgh, 2001 bachelor of arts. Years of international efforts to bring an end to decades of conflict by helping to negotiate the.
Igbohausa feud that began after the military coup and countercoup of 1966, culminating in the civil war in 1967, efikibibio conflict, tivjukun debacle, fulanibirom clashes, and itsekiriurhoboijaw conflict in the niger delta. Each member of the pdf receives a lump sum of 50,000 sudanese. The conflict has been marked by the failure of the government of the republic of south sudan. Religion is often depicted as a trigger factor in many conflicts. A comparison of intrareligious and interreligious conflict resolution initiatives a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science at george mason university by jonathan r. Conflict in south sudan and the challenges ahead congressional research service summary south sudan, which separated from sudan in 2011 after almost 40 years of civil war, was drawn into a devastating new conflict in late 20, when a political dispute that overlapped with preexisting ethnic and political fault lines turned violent.
The religious landscape in south sudan united states institute of. South sudan conflict analysis brief south sudan, the worlds youngest nation, continues to struggle despite the august 2015 signature of a peace agreement. Sudans complex armed conflict has been characterised as a civil war of interlocking civil wars. New dynamics of religious expansion in a globalizing world, ed. Pdf explaining the conflict in central african republic. Though there are conflicting reports about south sudans exact religious composition, christianity is the dominant religion, with a 2012 pew research centre report estimating that around 60.
Religious conflict in sudan by mackenzie lawless on prezi. Researcher matthias basedau says weak african states are a major cause. In sudan, conflicts over scarce resources, ethnicity and religion have resulted in genocide. Protestants are about 5% of the population mainly in the south. Throughout the year, the government of sudan continued to restrict the religious expression of muslims and nonmuslims. The root causes of religious conflict in sudan between the muslim north and christian south stem from primarily political sources, including historical favoritism to northern sudanese areas, unequal political representation, and governmental oppression.
Causes of the conflicts the british signed an agreement in 1953 that granted the people of sudan independence and the right to selfgovernance. Religion was a core issue in the sudanese civil war 19832005. Religious conflict in sudan essay sample new york essays. Religion and violence have been linked together in human kind and history. And, for those who have been luckier, their lives have been forever changed.
A separate conflict that remained unresolved centred on the darfur region in western sudan. Finding peaceful resolution to the conflict in south sudan. The religious literacy project is directed by diane l. For six years leading up to this day, a civil war between the predominantly muslim north and christiantraditional south had put the southern provinces of sudan in a state of emergency. How important were international religious and political forces. June 30, 1989 is a date that will always be engrained in sudanese history. Especially in africa, religion has been at the heart of much of the contemporary conflicts. Religious war in central african republic religion al. The conflict began in 2003 when rebels launched an insurrection to protest what they contended was the sudanese governments disregard for the western region and its nonarab population. Conflict between 19551976 and 19832005 between the colonially modernised arab north and the underdeveloped christian and animist south brought widespread civilian suffering. The 2011 census showed that the country composed of about 70% theravada buddhists, 10% muslims, % hindus, 7% christians mostly roman catholics.
In central african republic, the conflict between armed groups is now compounded by a conflict between armed communities. A human rights report united nations mission in south sudan. Race and religion in civil war august 27, 20 this case study explores the background and bases for sudan s two civil wars 19551972 and 19832005, which pitted the powerful muslim arabs in the north against the christian and indigenous black africans of the south. Finding peaceful resolution to the conflict in south sudan 3 ethnic variety, hosting 60 indigenous ethnic groups, the majority being christian and a small part being muslim. Modern history of conflict in sudan pulitzer center. The politicization of religious identity in sudan, with. Juba, jul 3 2018 ips throughout fifty years of struggles, south sudans different churches have remained one of the countrys few stable institutions, and in their workings toward peace, have displayed a level of interreligious cooperation rarely seen in the world. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. International studies in religion and society, vol. Moore and all content is constructed under her editorial direction. The republican brothers are a small religious organization of a few thousand which has existed in sudan for about 55 years. In 2018, religious freedom conditions in sudan trended the same as in 2017.
A united nations report released in late 2012 said that the conflict was becoming overtly sectarian in some parts of the country, with syrias various religious communities finding themselves on the opposite sides of the fight between the government of president bashar alassad and syrias fractured opposition. Less than a year after the old greater sudan split into the northern republic of sudan and the new republic of south sudanor north and south sudan, for claritythe two countries were again in a state of war. Religion plays an important role in sudan, with 97% of the countrys population adhering to islam. Priests and pastors from numerous denominations brought humanitarian relief to civilians during south sudans long wars. The politicization of religious identity in sudan, with special reference to oral histories of the sudanese diaspora in america. Interestingly, both authors argue that the conflict in sudan is primarily caused by political and economic marginalization and that issues of identity and religion are only a secondary or proxy cause that has been exploited and manipulated in the wake of conflict. Pdf on jan 1, 2000, douglas hamilton johnson and others published religion and communal conflict in the sudan. The presence of religious actors in times of violent conflict gives them legitimacy among the people of south sudan. Religion is a controversial issue in world affairs. Civil war along ethnoreligious lines august 1, 20 this case study addresses the underlying ethnic and religious tensions behind the sri lankan civil war 19832009, a conflict led by the liberation tigers of tamil elam ltte on behalf of the hindu tamil minority against the sri lankan government and the buddhist sinhalese majority. The transitional authorities and their international partners must address crucial issues by implementing a comprehensive disarmament. Church and conflict in south sudan inter press service. How were domestic religious forces and identities involved.
The central african republic car is in the grips of its own disaster, the catalyst seen as religious intolerance, where the confrontation between the muslim. In any event, through 2001, it has been estimated that 2 million people have lost their lives as a result of the religiousbased conflict here. Although the central african republic has no significant history of sectarian conflict or deepseated religious tension, the united nations, france, and other international groups have recently. In this paper therefore, i will also examine the role played by religion in the sudan conflict between the muslim arab north and the christian south verney et. Church and conflict in south sudan south sudan reliefweb. Various religious beliefs have justified violence or failed to condemn acts of violence and many have found themselves enmeshed in long prevailing violent conflicts. Sudans conflict dynamics in various ways since 20, as.
Race and religion in civil war berkley center for religion. Views expressed in this guest post are not those of the pulitzer center. Roughly 70 percent of sudans population before the official secession of south sudan was muslim, with up to 90 percent living in the north. The answer is a religious conflict that has been developing in sudan for hundreds of years. The report builds upon the unmiss interim report on human rights, released on 21 february. As its implementation faltered, violence between factions broke out again in july 2016, setting back the peace process once again. Since its independence in 1956, sudan has seen an intermittent civil war. She thanks usips africa and religion and inclusive societies teams. The impression is sometimes given that the darfur conflict is a result of a civil war which started in the south and eventually radiated to darfur, including notably the southern blue nile, eastern sudan, nuba mountains and abyie regions some of the most underdeveloped and marginalized regions of.
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