The Post-Colonial State and Civil War in Sudan

The Post-Colonial State and Civil War in Sudan PDF

Author: Noah R. Bassil

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-08-25

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 0857725963

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Since 2003, the ongoing violence and subsequent humanitarian crisis in Darfur has attracted significant international media attention. Here, Noah R. Bassil offers a re-conception of the conflict in Darfur by examining the origins and progression of the conflict through the broader issue of state failure in postcolonial Sudan. By moving away from a 'localised' view of the conflict, Bassil is able to demonstrate the extent to which the breakdown of social relations in Darfur is interconnected with the wider breakdown of Sudanese and post-colonial societies more broadly, offering a definitive study of the nexus between international, national and local forces and providing a coherent framework for understanding the causes of the civil war that erupted in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2003. The Post-Colonial State and Civil War in Sudan offers a thorough examination of the historical development of the Sudanese state, from an analysis of the colonial state structure to the post-colonial state struggles and from the failure of the state-led development project to the impact these had on the Darfur region. It therefore demonstrates how Sudan's political instability, recurrent civil wars and crisis of identity provide an important context for understanding why Darfur became the location of a major rebellion against the government in 2003,and in fact created the very conditions for conflict in Darfur. Looking forward towards peace in post-colonial societies, Bassil urges the abandonment of neo-liberal policies and a return to an international system that is based on building state-capacity and state legitimacy as the most effective mechanisms for rebuilding political and social relations in regions that have suffered crises in the post-colonial state. Rather than examining Darfur as a sui generis conflict, through the analysis here, it becomes evident that in fact, the events in Darfur are far from unusual, but part of the wider contemporary demise of the post-colonial state building project. This book therefore provides a unique examination of the conflict and the wider postcolonial situation, making it an important contribution to the fields of History, International Relations and Peace Studies.

Beyond State Crisis?

Beyond State Crisis? PDF

Author: Mark Beissinger

Publisher: Woodrow Wilson Center Press

Published: 2002-01-24

Total Pages: 538

ISBN-13: 9781930365087

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The contributors not only study state breakdown but compare the consequences of post-communism with those of post-colonialism.

South Sudan

South Sudan PDF

Author: Amir Idris

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-01-19

Total Pages: 171

ISBN-13: 135166879X

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South Sudan: Post-Independence Dilemmas is an interdisciplinary collection of essays which engages with the failure of the newest African State to transition itself successfully to a state and nation after its independence in July 2011. The contributors explore the prospects for new modes of politics capable of simultaneously healing and reconciling the divided communities while moving the country beyond divisive ethnic identities. As they focus on the political, historical, legal, or cultural challenges presented in the process of state formation, the chapters situate South Sudan’s dilemma in its history of political elitism and gender violence, and the role of international actors in order to examine the effects of these factors and the national mechanisms which have attempted to address them. By foregrounding the relationship between the crises of the state and the politics of ethnicity in South Sudan, the book explores new potentialities in finding an alternative pathway redirect and unleash the creative energies and capacities of the peoples in South Sudan for meaningful social and economic development. As such, it will be of interest to scholars of African Politics and State Building.

Civil Wars in Africa

Civil Wars in Africa PDF

Author: Kelechi A. Kalu

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2022-05-05

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 1793649340

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Civil Wars in Africa, edited by Kelechi A. Kalu and George Klay Kieh, Jr., examines civil conflicts throughout various African countries. They argue that civil wars in Africa are by-products of the contradictions and crises engendered by the post-colonial state-building and nation-building projects in Africa. With few exceptions, the post-colonial states in Africa have failed to build societies that invest in the material well-being of their citizens; protect their political, civil, and other rights; promote accountability, transparency, the rule of law, judicial independence, and the holding of free and fair elections; and promote ethnic pluralism, tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful co-existence, among others. In addition, the contributors show that the post-colonial states in Africa have been ruled by corrupt and autocratic leaders, who are obsessed with the maintenance of state power as the pathway to ensuring the private accumulation of wealth through sundry illegal means, including bribery, extortion, and theft of public funds. In sum, this volume addresses how the failure of the post-colonial African state to shepherd the process of building democratic societies based on the centrality of human security has led to the erosion of the legitimacy of the state and its custodians. Thus, once the contradictions and crises reached their crescendo, these post-colonial societies than implode into civil wars, even at the micro-level.

Self-Determination and Secession in Africa

Self-Determination and Secession in Africa PDF

Author: Redie Bereketeab

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-07

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1317649680

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This book provides a unique comparative study of the major secessionist and self-determination movements in post-colonial Africa, examining theory, international law, charters of the United Nations, and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)/African Union’s (AU) stance on the issue. The book explores whether self-determination and secessionism lead to peace, stability, development and democratisation in conflict-ridden societies, particularly looking at the outcomes in Eritrea and South Sudan. The book covers all the major attempts at self-determination and secession on the continent, extensively analysing the geo-political, economic, security and ideological factors that determine the outcome of the quest for self-determination and secession. It reveals the lack of inherent clarity in international law, social science theories, OAU/AU Charter, UN Charters and international conventions concerning the topic. This is a major contribution to the field and highly relevant for researchers and postgraduate students in African Studies, Development Studies, African Politics and History, and Anthropology.

Contested Sudan

Contested Sudan PDF

Author: Ibrahim Elnur

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-01-13

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1134023693

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Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has endured a troubled history, including the longest civil war in African history in Southern Sudan and more recent conflicts such as the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. This book explores this history of ensuing conflict, examining why Sudan failed to sustain a successful modern post-colonial state. The book goes on to consider in detail the various attempts to end Sudan’s conflicts and initiate political and economic reconstruction, including the failure which followed the Addis Ababa agreement of 1982 and the more recent efforts following the Nivasha agreement of 2005 which ended the civil war in the south. It critically examines how reconstruction has been envisioned and the role of the various major players in the process: including donors, NGOs, ex-combatants and the central state authority. It argues that reconstruction can only be successful if it takes into account the fundamental and irreversible transformations of society engendered by war and conflict, which in the case of Sudan includes the massive rural to urban population flows experienced during the years of warfare. It compares possible future scenarios for Sudan, and considers how the obstacles to successful post-conflict reconstruction might best be overcome. Overall, this book will not only be of interest to scholars of Sudan and regional specialists, but to all social scientists interested in the dynamics of post-conflict reconstruction and state-building.

War and Politics in Sudan

War and Politics in Sudan PDF

Author: Justin D. Leach

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-11-26

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1786733706

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On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became an independent state after more than half a century of civil conflict wrought with human rights abuse. Indeed, the post-colonial history of Sudan has been characterised by two Civil Wars spanning almost two decades each: the first from 1955-1972 and the second from 1983-2005. With questions of national and regional identity at the heart of the conflict, the Sudanese Civil Wars have highlighted key questions about the post-colonial epoch. Justin Leach's War and Politics in the Sudan offers a comparative analysis of the First and Second Sudanese Civil Wars, along with the peace treaties which ended them. Most historians have seen the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement as a stepping stone to renewed civil conflict in 1983 rather than as a settlement in its own right. Leach, on the other hand, believes that the size of Sudan precludes the application of traditional theories of conflict resolution. The introduction of natural resources brought a new facet to the already complex Second Sudanese Civil War. Oil, for instance, internationalised the conflict and added yet another prism through which groups in the conflict could view their identity. By tracing the evolving demands of the southern insurgents and the regimes they fought against, Leach outlines the main challenges to the Sudanese nationalist project, including the strength of southern regional identities, the resurgence of political Islam in the north as well as the sheer duration of the conflict. War and Politics in the Sudan thus offers a fresh and timely analysis of a region long beset by civil conflict, interethnic violence and poverty, a region whose historical narrative has recently taken on a new trajectory. Those interested in post-colonial Sudanese history are sure to find Leach's arguments both persuasive and pertinent.

The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars

The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars PDF

Author: Douglas Hamilton Johnson

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780253215840

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Sudan's post-independence history has been dominated by long, recurring, and bloody civil wars. Most commentators have attributed the country's political and civil strife either to an age-old racial and ethnic divide between Arabs and Africans or to colonially constructed inequalities. In The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars, Douglas H. Johnson examines historical, political, economic, and social factors to come to a more subtle understanding of the trajectory of Sudan's civil wars. Johnson focuses on the essential differences between the modern Sudan's first civil war in the 1960s, the current war, and the minor conflicts generated by and contained within the larger wars. Regional and international factors, such as humanitarian aid, oil revenue, and terrorist organizations, are cited and examined as underlying issues that have exacerbated the violence. Readers will find an immensely readable yet nuanced and well-informed handling of the history and politics of Sudan's civil wars.

Civil War in the Sudan

Civil War in the Sudan PDF

Author: Martin Daly

Publisher: British Academic Press

Published: 1993-12-31

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13:

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This is a comprehensive survey of the Sudanese Civil War. It traces its origins and sets out the problems of nationality/ethnicity that have led to the demise of one of the largest and most important states in Africa. The contents include an introduction to the political and economic background to the Civil War, an analysis of underdevelopment in Southern Sudan since independence, a study of the possibilities of constitutional discourse in the area, and a chapter on the foundation and expansion of the Sudan's People Liberation Army.

The African Post-colonial State and its Challenges

The African Post-colonial State and its Challenges PDF

Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile

Publisher: New Africa Press

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13:

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Godfrey Mwakikagile looks at the African post-colonial state and the challenges it faces. He contends that it is structurally flawed and does not reflect African realities. It is an oppressive machinery and an apparatus of power to serve the interests of the ruling class and the elite at the expense of ordinary citizens and the masses. And it has retained the institutional structure of the colonial state instead of undergoing fundamental transformation to become truly African. Mwakikagile focuses on a number of countries providing case studies whose relevance is continental in scope. He contends that bad leadership is the biggest problem African countries have faced through the decades and everything else revolves around it. The collapse of a number of African states in the post-colonial era bears testimony to that.