16/10/2022
๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐ฆ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป
South Sudan, the world's newest nation, was once a sizeable part of Sudan, the country to its north. The conflicts between what is now Sudan and South Sudan are often understood through their historical roots: centuries of exploitation and slave-raiding by the "Arab" north against the "African" south, followed by Britain and Egypt's imperialist meddling. Arab tribes first arrived in Sudan from Upper Egypt and across the Red Sea during the Middle Ages, and colonial occupation began in the nineteenth century. However, it is impossible to explain Sudan's recent conflicts from any single angle or with any simple terms. While religion, race, economic exploitation, and colonialism are all major elements in the crisis, none of these factors fully explains the situation.
The following brief timeline lays out the most recent phase in Sudan and South Sudan's history, beginning with imperialist intervention.
1820: Egypt conquers northern parts of Sudan, developing ivory and slave trades.
1880s: Nationalist revolts, led by Muhammed Ahmad Al Mahdi, begin to form in opposition to Egyptian and British rule (at the time, Egypt was under British occupation). The British and Egyptians are defeated in 1885 and Al Mahdi establishes a theocracy in Khartoum.
1890s: Britain regains control of Sudan with military campaigns led by Lord Kitchener. In 1899, Egypt and Britain agree on joint government of Sudan.
1930: The British Civil Secretary in Khartoum declares the "Southern Policy," officially stating what had always been in practice: the north and south, because of their many cultural and religious differences, are governed as two separate regions.
1946: Britain and Khartoum (by this time, Egypt is effectively out of the picture) abruptly decide to merge north and south into a single administrative region. Arabic is made the language of administration in the south, and northerners begin to hold positions there.
