ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the background to the conflict between the north and the south, in the Darfur region and in South Sudan, the human rights violations committed by all parties, and the applicable international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The north-south conflict in Sudan occurred in two phases: from independence until 1972, and again from 1983 until 2005. Several peace negotiation attempts between the government, the SPLA, and the Southern Sudan Independence Movement failed. The conflict in Sudan has significant regional dimensions. Some neighbors, such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, have been positively engaged in supporting negotiations in Sudan through the IGAD process. Among the apparent human rights causes of the conflict are real and perceived discrimination, and attempts to impose religion and constrain freedom of religion. The ongoing conflict in South Sudan since its independence has resulted in hundreds of deaths of civilians.
