Perceptions and Voices of South Sudanese About the North-South Sudan Conflict

Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 1-1-2011 Perceptions and Voices of South Sudanese About the North-South Sudan Conflict Machar Wek Aleu-Baak Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Aleu-Baak, Machar Wek, "Perceptions and Voices of South Sudanese About the North-South Sudan Conflict" (2011). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 184. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.184 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Perceptions and Voices of South Sudanese About the North-South Sudan Conflict by Machar Wek Aleu-Baak A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution Thesis Committee: Barbara Tint, Chair Robert Gould Rachel Hardesty Portland State University 2012 i Abstract The conflict in Sudan reflects historic hatred and ethnic discrimination between Northern Arab Muslims and Southern African Christians and Animists. The longest and worst conflict began in 1983 and ended in 2005, when African Christians and Animists struggled to form an interim autonomous government. This conflict claimed 2 million lives from both sides and displaced almost 4 million people from the South. This thesis attempts to understand how people from Southern Sudan perceive the root causes and sustaining factors of the Sudanese conflict between Arab Muslims and African Christians. This research looks specifically into the roles of ethnic differences and religion. In this study, 10 emigrants from South Sudan were chosen to present their perceptions and views about the conflict, in the form of written responses to 22 questions. Analysis of their responses in light of conflict resolution literature suggests that the North-South Sudan conflict involves complex issues primarily fueled by ethnic and religious differences. This research reveals that South Sudanese refugees from varying backgrounds and professions expressed similar experiences of racial, religious discrimination and political and economic marginalization, and suggests that Sudan’s July, 2011 declaration of independence, creating two separate nations, North and South Sudan, was a positive solution to achieving a just peace. ii Dedication To my uncles Gau Athain Gau and Garang Athain Gau and their entire family who supported me emotionally while they were faced with hardship and grief. iii Acknowledgements I wish to thank the faculty and staff in the Department of Conflict Resolution at Portland State University for their hard work, and for making themselves available to answer my questions, even when I showed up for unscheduled assistance. Your steadfast support got me to this milestone, and I am grateful for your professionalism and dedication. I thank my thesis chair, Dr. Barbara Tint for her support since I began my graduate studies in the Department of Conflict Resolution. Her knowledge and skills were critical to this research. And her expertise with international, intercultural conflict resolution and familiarity with African issues were assets in this challenging pursuit. I also thank Dr. Robert Gould for supporting me since I began my studies in the Department of Conflict Resolution. Together, their expertise makes the department educationally special for me. And I appreciate the insight, knowledge and interest of Dr. Rachel Hardesty in the ongoing situation in Sudan. Her support helped me to overcome and understand other research challenges. With deep gratitude, I must acknowledge the intellectual guidance of my friend, Roland T. Clarke, who supported me with structures provided by the Human Subjects Research Review (HSRRC) guides. Even while busy working with his own master’s thesis, Roland has been a great mentor for me. I would also like to thank the participants from Southern Sudan who accepted the call to help with this research. Their responses not only facilitated the success of my iv thesis, but provided critical historic narratives about the suffering of marginalized people in Sudan. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….……i Dedication…………………………………………………………………….………...…ii Acknowledgements……………………………………..…………….…….……….…...iii List of Figures…………………………………………………………………….…..….vii 1. Introduction…………….……………………………………………………………….1 Reason for choosing this topic…………………….……....……………....3 Purpose of the research…………..………………………..…....…...….....6 Key definitions……………………………..…………………..…….........6 Tribal Groups……………………………………………………………...6 Geographical locations and cities………………………………………....7 Vocabulary………………………………………………………………...7 Political, cultural, and international humanitarian organizations………....7 2. History of the conflict and attempts to resolve it………………..……………...…......10 Colonialism in Sudan…….……..………………..…………....................11 First civil war………………………………………….……...………….13 Second civil war……………………………….…………...…………….14 Comprehensive 2005 Peace Agreement……………….…………...…....15 South Sudanese votes for independence……………..………..………....16 3. Identity and Religion……………………………………….…….……………………19 Ethnic Idenity and Conflict……..……………...……...............................19 Ethnic Identity in Sudan and the North-South Sudan Conflict…..........…23 Religion and Violence……………………………………………………24 Religion in Sudan and the North-South Sudan Conflict……………....…27 Resolving religious conflicts……………………………………………..32 Slavery in Sudan………………………………...……………………….38 Conflict resolution theory and practice…………………………………..41 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….42 4. Methodology..……......………………...……………………………………………...43 Qualitative Research………………………….……………………..…...43 Case study……………… ...…………………….……………………….44 Qualitative case study interviews…………………...……………………45 Method………….………………..………………………………………47 vi Participants……………………………………………………………….47 Choosing the participants…………………………………………..….....48 Demographics………………………………..……………………….….48 Procedures………………………..……………………………................49 Role of the researcher………………….……………………………..….50 5. Results…………………………..………………………………………….…………51 Cause of Conflict…………………………………………...……..……..51 The Issue of Identity……………………………………...……...………53 The Mandate of religion……………………………………..….…..…....58 Sudanese Multiculturalism…………………………………...…….…... .61 Power Machinations………………………...…………………….….…..63 Slavery and the Slave Trade……………………………………………..64 Coping Strategies……………………………...…………………..……..65 6. Analysis and Discussion………………………………………………………………68 Analysis and discussion of the results…………………………………...68 Treatment of South Sudanese displaced to North Sudan………………...70 Slavery…………………………………………………………………...73 Coping……………………………………………………………………74 Personal reflection……………………………………………………….74 Limitations of the study………………………………………………….76 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….76 Conflict Resolution………………………………………………………77 Possible Solutions………………………………………………………..80 Summary…………………………………………………………………81 Recommendations………………………………………………………..83 Final Reflection…………..…………………………………………...…83 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….88 References Cited…………………………………….……….……….…….……….…...90 Appendix A Informed Consent………………..………...……………………………...100 Appendix B Questionnaires Guild……………………………………………………...102 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Map of the Sudan………………………………………………………………10 Figure 2 Religious Percentages in the Sudan………………...…………...……………..28 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Sudan has gone through three different historical conflicts in the past years. The first and second conflicts were between African Christians and Animists in the South and Arab Muslims in the North. The third was between African Muslims in the Darfur region and Arab Muslims in the North. Together, these conflicts have claimed the lives of approximately 3 million people (Ahmed, 2008; Jok, 2007). Ethnic and traditional differences between African Christians and Animists and Arab Muslims are seen to be the root of the North and South Sudan conflict (Deng, 1995; Jok, 2007; Wai, 1981). Sudan is one nation with two identities: Africans and Arabs. Each group is loyal to its own ethnic “nationalism” and each perceives national identity as a second priority. People of African descent strive to maintain African nationalism. Arabs maintain and attempt to promote Arabic nationalism and Islamic identity. The conflict in Sudan was fueled by a mandate of Islamic traditions on non-Arabs and non-Muslims in Southern Sudan. Wai (1973) suggested that the imposition of Muslim tradition has caused conflicts and made peaceful coexistence less possible. There are few cultural commonalities and these ethnic groups seem not to be able to coexist. Failure to establish a national identity and consensus has resulted in a deadly rivalry between African and Arab groups. A lack of “common ground” has exacerbated tensions. The central government, dominated by Arab Muslims, began to impose Arab culture and Islamic beliefs as the only national identity in a multi-ethnic and multi- religious country. Conflicts associated with these ethnic and religious differences have dominated the country. 2 In past decades, catastrophic conflicts have resulted from Arab atrocities against ethnic minorities in different parts of the world including Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan. Many of these conflicts are believed to be

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