ABSTRACT
Sudan, formerly an Anglo-Egyptian condominium (in practice ruled by the British), became independent in 1956. The dominance of its Arabized Muslim north has long been resisted by the south’s black Africans, who prefer indigenous religions or Christianity, and the government’s support of terrorism has not been popular abroad. In 1983, Islamic laws were imposed on the south; a new revolt began, and by 1990 the rebels held most of the south. In 1991 they split, on tribal lines; this intertribal conflict continued until 1995. Three years of negotiation led to a peace agreement between north and south in 2005 that specified a six-year waiting period with autonomy for the south, to be followed by a referendum on southern independence. By the time of the agreement war and famine had caused 2 million deaths. Distribution of oil revenues will be a factor in a final peace – Sudan began to export oil in 1999, and most of its deposits are in the south.
