Sudan: A Country in Crisis

Sudan’s History: In Brief!

The situation in Sudan is EXTREMELY complicated and this is only a brief outline of the historic background.

Colonization

Until 1946 ~ The British empire governed south Sudan and north Sudan as separate regions.

1953 ~ An agreement was made by the United Kingdom and Egypt to grant independence to Sudan. Matters reached a head as the 1 January 1956 independence day approached, as it appeared that northern leaders were backing away from commitments to grant the south autonomy.

Sudan’s First Civil War (1953 ~ 1972)

After independence was granted, northern leaders of Sudan backed away from commitments to create a federal government that would give the south autonomy. Tensions rise as a result and fighting breaks out between the north and south.

Five hundred thousand people, of which only one in five was considered an armed combatant, were killed in the seventeen year war and hundreds of thousands more were forced to leave their homes.

1972 ~ The agreement that ended the fighting in 1972 failed to completely end the tensions that had originally caused the civil war, eventually leading to the second civil war.

Sudan’s Second Civil War (1983 ~ 2005)

1983 ~ Civil war breaks out again in the south involving government forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA).

1983 ~ President Numayri declares the introduction of Shari’a (Islamic law).

1985 ~ After widespread popular unrest Numayri is removed from office by a group of officers and Transitional Military Council is set up to rule the country.

1999 ~ President Bashir declares a state of emergency.

2005 January ~ Government and southern rebels sign a peace deal. The agreement includes a permanent ceasefire and accords on wealth and power sharing.

Sources

Wikipedia
BBC News
UNHCR: South Sudan Operation

Lost Boys of Sudan

The documentary, "Lost Boys of Sudan" relays the story of two Dinka boys who were forced to flee their country (forced migration) due to Sudan’s ruthless civil war; one that raged for over 20 years. While tending to their domestic responsibilities out in the pastures, villages were burned and family members killed or captured. Many young, Dinka boys arrived home only to discover they were orphaned. Boys that were nearby their village when the attacks hit, ran and hid to escape the assault. As they walked to seek help, they met up with thousands of other Dinka boys (some girls) who had experienced similar loss and destruction. This walk to safety marked the beginning of their migratory journey. These boys would spend years dodging bullets, wild animals, hunger, and insanity before finding safety in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

Following years of living in the refugee camp in Kenya, some of the boys are chosen to migrate to America (stepped migration). Culture shock is inevitable, as the Dinka are required to assimilate to the American culture. “Their journey to America is one of good fortune but one also of cultural, spiritual and even physical vertigo. The distances traveled by the "lost boys" encompass a world of rapid movement and jarring contrasts, and reveal both great social divisions and remarkable human links in the 21st century global village (PBS).”


In your blog entry,

choose one of the "Lost Boys," Peter or Santino to write about...

1. Discuss the difficulties “Lost Boy,” Peter/Santino experienced while assimilating into the American culture?
2. Discuss how they dealt with their culture shock ~ what did they do to adjust to the cultural divisions?

You may choose to write in first person point-of-view or third person. Please remember to use an intriguing title that relates to the topic – grabbing the reader’s attention. Also, check the standard of your work against the Blog Rubric.

For this post, you need to include links that would deepen your reading audience's understanding of the plight of Sudanese refugees.