Origin of the Current Crisis in South Sudan (Part 3): The Birth

In the previous posts, we discussed the first calls for independence in South Sudan, the 2005 peace agreement that was the conception of independence (click here to read “The Origin of the Current Crisis (Part 1)”), and the January 2011 referendum that began the labor process before the birth of South Sudan (click here to read “The Origin of the Current Crisis (Part 2)”). This post will describe the actual birth of South Sudan.

After decades of fighting for independence, a few years of negotiations to reach a peace agreement, six years in limbo, and a nearly unanimous vote for independence, South Sudan became the world’s newest country on July 9, 2011. I had the honor of being in Juba in the weeks leading up to independence. I watched the fevered pitch of preparations for building a new country, which included everything from finishing the airport, to parade practice and parliamentary debate over the Transitional Constitution. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a parade practice for the Independence Day parade. First, can you imagine watching General George Washington and his troops practicing on June 30, 1776 for the July 4 Independence Day parade? This was the equivalent for me because I watched the practice and preparations for the celebration of the birth of a new country!

Origin of the Current Crisis in South Sudan (Part 2): Pregnancy and Labor

In the previous post, we discussed the first calls for independence in South Sudan, along with the 2005 peace agreement that served as the conception of independence (click here to read the previous post). This post will fast forward through the pregnancy (as so many women wish they could do), and continue the baby analogy with a discussion of the labor process before the birth of South Sudan as an independent nation.

Origin of the Current Crisis in South Sudan (Part 1): Conception

Sudan People's Liberation Army

Okay, so let’s get started on the origins of the current crisis in South Sudan. To help you understand the relevant (and complex) history of South Sudan more easily, I’ll be using a pretty universal analogy: the birth of a baby. By the end of this series of posts, you’ll be sick to death of the analogy, but you should understand the crisis.

South Sudan for Beginners

If you read the last post, now you know what a South Sudan is. Awesome! Now you might want to know a little more about what happened in the past to get us to the current crisis in South Sudan. In the next couple of posts, I’ll take you back to the beginning of the independence movement in South Sudan, the war for independence, and the period leading up to South Sudan’s independence on July 9, 2011. As an introduction to this series of posts, this post will give you some basic facts to provide you with the necessary context for the crisis.

BBC News- Q&A: South Sudan Clashes

If you keep hearing about the "Crisis in South Sudan" and you're all like, "What is a South Sudan?", check out the BBC's Q&A page about what's going on in the world's youngest country. The BBC's webpage will give you a brief overview of what is going on so you don't feel lost when watching the nightly news. I'll follow this post up with a more in-depth piece on South Sudan's recent history and the origins of the crisis.

BBC News- Q&A: South Sudan Clashes