Country Profile Of South Sudan

I am sure many of us have not heard of such a country called South Sudan. The only information you need now is that this country is the youngest globally and had its inauguration or distinction as a separate country around ten years ago. Not that old, huh?

In this article, I will be covering all the critical yet related facts, so stay till the end.

The Geographical Boundaries

Attaining independence, South Sudan or Southern Sudan, as you may, is located in Northeastern Africa. Sudan bounds the land on the north, Ethiopia on the east, the west by the Central African Republic, and from the south by Kenya, Uganda, and the democratic republic of Congo. Its official name is the Republic of South Sudan. The capital of this young nation is Juba which is the largest city in the county as well. With a population of 12 million, the capital city swallows approximately 526000 lives.

In terms of land, this county covers an area of 644,329 km^2.

For the language you may wonder, the official language is English, given that the US is the ultimate aid provider for the country. In contrast, the nationally accepted languages are Nuer, Murle, Luo, and 63 more. However, the spoken language varies from English to Juba Arabic to Neuer et Cetra. 

In terms of religion, the graph is skewed. Christianity holds the 60% portion of the Pie chart other lion’s share, constituting 32.9%, is owned by traditional or African religions. In comparison, 9% goes to Islam, and what remains after that goes to other minority sects.

The collective name or demonym that identifies the group of people residing here is South Sudanese.

Government type

After inhaling the basic information of South Sudan, let’s jump on understanding what sort of government operates here. Is it a dictatorship, democratic or republican? Well, for South Sudanese, it is a Federal presidential constitutional republic. Well, it is a compound word which, put in simple terms, is a system in which the government is headed by a president who acts as a head of state, director of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. To give a face to your imagination, Salva Kiir Mayardit is the president of South Sudan.

The legislature is divided into the upper house, the Council of States and the lower house, known as the Transitional National Legislative Assembly.

The History of Horrors

Do you remember Muhammad Ali’s dynasty from your history book? Sudan was ruled by Egypt under this dynasty rule and was in power as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium until the country became independent in 1956. Sudan was then forced to form an autonomous area in 1972 called South Sudan, given the civil war. This area was on the map till 1983 as when the second Sudanese civil war broke out. The horrors of war lasted for more than twenty hapless years, and finally, under the purview of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, it ended. 

Ultimately, following the 98.8% support for Independence, Southern Sudan declared itself an independent country in the continent of Africa. However, the tragic destiny of South Sudanese was not over. The land was scarred with ethnic killings of journalists by many parties and rampant human rights abuse following the civil war that was tolerated by the nation somehow, ethnic violence. Massacres from 2013 to February 2020 given the coalition government called the national Unity government formed by opposing leaders of two parties, making a clear stream for refugees to return home. The same year, we revived the area given the formation of the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan.

The uniqueness of the country

The ten state country is one of the most assorted nations in Africa. The country in itself is rich in resources and naturally endowed by it. Its significant characteristic is the River Nile that transverses the nation and flows through big cities, including Juba’s capital. This river contributes to the facilitation of trade, management, and urbanization of various rural areas within the country’s cities. It is an abode for no less than 60 ethnic groups wherein people support and uphold the values and traditions of the hierarchy religions.

Though the country is landlocked and surrounded by various large countries, it still has the advantage of potential trade routes for its exports. South Sudan is a natural home of several natural resources like oil, iron ore, gold, and many more. It also has the potential to grow exponentially in terms of GDP and economy given the fertile lands that we can prove of much help growing cassava, groundnuts, sorghum, sweet potato, maize, sesame, finger millet, rice, beans, and cowpea. However, specific challenges pull the country back.

Challenges

The life expectancy is near to being poor as the land is surrounded by swamps giving rise to 56 years of existence for men and 58 for women. Sudan is essentially an oil-concentrated industry. People who work out of that domain are forced to work as unpaid agricultural and pastoralist workers. 

The lack of impetus forces them into a low productivity spiral and, in turn, swirls the country into a low-income group. Also, the lack of income of agriculturally fed workers is because this sector is dependent upon rains which are suddenly not stable because of changing weather patterns. All the consumer goods are imported, and there is no scene of manufacturing units. It is quite acceptable for a country like South Sudan as despite being independent in 2011, the government didn’t entirely escape the grips of civil war and nationwide unrest until 2020. 

The economic hardships have taken no rest and continue to labour due to falling oil revenues and a fast depreciating currency.

The country indeed has seen a lot before and after independence. However, it is hard to put its horses back to work because a continuous lack of it and growing economic hardships will take them back to where they came from. The citizens’ expectations are yet to be met injustice, accountability, reconciliation, the rule of law, and healing. 

Article Proofread and Edited by Shreedatri Banerjee