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.

Okay, let’s think of the voting process as the beginning of labor. The vote was certainly laborious. It required voter education for a largely illiterate population most of whom had never voted. Remember, South Sudan has a literacy rate of roughly 27%. This does not mean that people are not intelligent (I guarantee that most of them know things about survival and their own history that we couldn’t comprehend), but that they are unable to read a ballot or written instructions on when, where, and how to vote. For this reason, the ballots included drawings to depict unity (meaning keeping South Sudan as part of Sudan) or separation (making South Sudan an independent country).

South Sudan referendum ballot

In addition to the literacy issues, there the referendum required logistical miracles for voting to take place in such a large region with few paved roads (36 miles in the entire country as of 2011). Even today, it is impossible to travel to most parts of South Sudan on the ground. This required there to be enough voting stations that citizens could get to relatively easily on foot. It also made it difficult to get ballots to and from these stations. Fortunately, the Government of South Sudan (GOSS), with vital assistance from the international community, provided the voter education and logistical support, and the vote took place. Though there were long lines, the people were happy for the opportunity to have their say and there were few incidents during the actual vote (despite dire predictions of violence and war). The result of the vote, which came as no surprise to anyone, was overwhelmingly in support of independence: 98.8%.

South Sudan referendum lines

  

Though the vote was the beginning of labor, the labor process lasted for 6 months. During this time, the government of the region, which was still part of Sudan at this time, began its final preparation for independence. This preparation included the drafting of a new interim constitution, and getting Juba (South Sudan’s capital) ready to host hundreds of international dignitaries for the independence ceremony. I had the opportunity to sit in on GOSS’s parliamentary debate on the draft constitution. There were heated exchanges and disagreements, but the Members of Parliament were able to agree to the constitution the first week of July, thus paving the way for independence.

In the next post, I will discuss Independence Day as part of the birth of South Sudan. Stay tuned…