Southern Sudan: Peaceful Independence and an Uncertain Future

A mother and her children who recently fled heavy fighting stand inside a schoolroom that has been transformed into a makeshift camp for displaced persons in the town of Khorfulus, Jonglei state, Southern Sudan.

The more I learn about the brutality of the civil war that has finally given rise to the new state of Southern Sudan the more convinced I am that the international community must continue to support and help protect the state from a return to violence. The Government of Sudan has used extremely bloody tactics to put down the rebellions both in Darfur and South Sudan in the past and at this moment is continuing to bomb civilians in the Northern Sudanese state of South Kordofan. There have been incidence of violence among different groups within the South, but the unanimous vote for the Independence of Southern Sudan is a clear demonstration of a desire for a more democratic and peaceful future. In an article on the U.S. Holocaust Museum website a Southern Sudanese man who escaped slavery in the North reflected on his hesitant hope that the liberation of the South from the North will mean a more peaceful future:

“I wish there’s going to be peace...That’s just my wish, but if there’s no peace, well, I’ve always lived in the war. This is what I’ve always expected. I was born in it. I lived through it. If there’s no peace…it’s still the same. I don’t know what peace is.”

Recently I attended a conference in which former USAID administrator Andrew Natsios argued convincingly for the U.S. to continue to stand in defense of Southern Sudan through military alliance, trade agreements, and continued development assistance. He reflected that with support there is the possibility that Southern Sudan could realize its potential to become a stable democratic and economic ally like South Korea. The alternative possibility, on the other hand, is that Southern Sudan could fall prey to cycles of violence resulting in a humanitarian crisis and the loss of even more lives. You can find a recording of Natsios' speech here: http://sidw.libsyn.com/
Also check out an excellent video of VOICES FROM SOUTHERN SUDAN on the U.S. Holocaust Museum website.