Sudan and Darfur: What You Don't Know

Since Sudan achieved its independence in 1956 from joint rule by the United Kingdom and Egypt, it has been in a state of perpetual civil war. In fact four major civil wars have occurred since it was granted independence and the latest, as you may have heard, is happening in the western portion of the country called Darfur. It has left over 2 million people displaced and over 300,000 dead.
What you may not know is that the majority of the civil wars that were fought in Sudan have been between north and south Sudan, resulting in far more death and displacement over the past 40 years than which has occurred over the last 4 in Darfur.
The size of Sudan may be the cause of its very bloody recent history. As Africa’s largest country, (tenth largest in the world) it encompasses literally hundreds of ethnic groups. They can be lumped into two groupings however: northern and southern. The north, having linguistic, religious and cultural ties with the Arabic world is very different from the south, which has little cultural connection with the Arabic world and is mostly tribal and/or Christian. Darfur, located in the southwest, is a conglomeration of the two: it is tribal, yet lax Muslim. It fits neatly into neither and has incurred the onslaught of the Islamist north, which seeks to impose control in Darfur by kicking out the lackadaisical Muslim tribes in order to settle loyal northern citizens and implement its very strict brand of Islamic law. The world has watched this happen because there is more to the picture than that which is happening in Darfur. Concern from the rest of the world remains focused on the future of north-south relations.

America, of course
In 2005, after 50 years of on-again of–again civil war and under heavy American pressure, the north and south concluded an agreement which stipulates that a referendum on independence take place for south Sudan in 2011. It will almost certainly lead to an independent state for the Christian south. But will the north allow this to peaceably occur?
The vast majority of the oil flowing out of Sudan (80%) is located in the south, but the market is dominated by northern Sudanese firms backed with incredible capital support from their brethren in the Arabic world and their biggest customers, the Chinese. The South has seen neither reinvestment nor benefit from the Islamist north, which dominates the government. All the while sprawling government buildings and palaces are being constructed in the North’s largest city and capital, Khartoum.
In addition, the North has stepped up oil drilling in the south and moved 60,000 troops into the region: it knows it only has 3 years to extract as much black gold from the southern portion of the country before it reaches its long desired independence.
Intelligence firms have long stipulated that the displacement of millions of civilians in Darfur is closely related to the growing independence movement in the south. By controlling the western gateway to the south through Darfur, the north will find itself at a significant military advantage if it chooses not to respect southern independence once the referendums occur in 2011. Darfur has also provided an excellent distraction from the movement of 60,000 troops into the south this past year. For example, how many of you have heard of Darfur, but not southern Sudan’s demand for independence?


Wait till 2011
Since the United States brokered the peace deal between north and south in 2005, the north has stepped up its campaign of genocide in the southwestern region (Darfur) in an attempt to militarily prepare itself for the coming insurgency that will erupt once the south votes for independence - that is, if the north will even allow this to happen.
American military bases are located around the periphery of Sudan – from the air force base in neighboring Djibouti that flew sorties against Islamist militias in Somalia in 2008, to the training and intelligence stations in Sudan's neighbors Ethiopia and Kenya. It is clear that the United States is slowly positioning itself as a powerful force against the Islamist north. If the United States continues to develop a respectable military force in the region to counter the northern Sudanese, than perhaps it can push the north away from implementing a repeat of the Darfur genocide in southern Sudan come 2011.
American involvement in Sudan will come, but it won’t happen until 2011. It is then when it will make a stand to protect not just Darfur, but the 12 million Sudanese in the oil rich south. 2011, however, may be too late for those already suffering and dying in Darfur.