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18. Epilogue: The Next Sudan

Jok madut Jok & John RylE

In Sudan one civil war is barely over; another is yet to end. Millions of

Sudanese have died as a result of these wars. In half a century of indepen-

dence from colonial rule the country has seen barely a decade of peace.

Despite new wealth from oil, most citizens of Sudan still live in poverty.

And the country is now poised to split into two new states, each heir to

this heritage of failure.

As the country divides, Sudan stares its history in the face: a seemingly

unending story of exploitation and accumulation at the heart of the

state and conflict and dispossession elsewhere. Why is it that successive

governments have failed the people of Sudan so consistently? What are

the prospects for improvement under the new political dispensation

made possible by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)? Could

this have a permanent effect? Can two new states devise complementary

notions of Sudanese nationhood that will enable them to coexist? The

essays in this book have looked at the realities of past and present-day life

in Sudan from many different perspectives. In conclusion, this epilogue

examines some of Sudan’s possible futures.

The South

Following the end of the interim period in July 2011, responsibility for

governing the south, albeit with its borders still undetermined, will

fall on a newly sovereign government of South Sudan. Since the peace

agreement in 2005 and the establishment of a government in Juba there

has been only sporadic criticism of the failure of the Government of

The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors Southern Sudan (GoSS) to expedite a peace dividend. After many decades

(www.riftvalley.net).