ABSTRACT
In the Horn of Africa, much of the discussion on democracy remains especially focused on the transformation of political systems, on regime change, and electoral competition as preconditions for Western-style democracy. This discussion is usually based on inadequate knowledge of histories, identities and the dynamics of state formations in the region. In the Sudan, the legacy of slavery is particularly significant in understanding the interplay between state formation, nation building and the crisis of democratic citizenship and violence. The racialised and Islamicised state in the Sudan, historically, has had a crucial historical role in spreading violence in Southern Sudan.
