Politics of Southern Sudan
Encyclopedia
The politics of South Sudan
concern the system of government in the Republic of South Sudan, a country in East Africa
, and the people, organisations, and events involved in it.
from 2005, after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
between the government of Sudan
and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army
, to 2011, when South Sudan
gained independence.
After several decades of a civil war that was one of the longest lasting and deadliest wars of the latter 20th century (the First Sudanese Civil War
and the Second Sudanese Civil War
) between the primarily Muslim and Arab government based in the north, and black Christian and animist people of the south that demanded more regional autonomy, a peace agreement known as the Naivasha Agreement was signed on January 9, 2005, giving autonomy to the state.
On January 9, 2005, the Government of Southern Sudan was established after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. John Garang, the former rebel leader of Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, as President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Vice President of Sudan. A constitution was adopted in December 2005.
On July 2005 Garang died in a helicopter crash in Uganda
, and was succeeded in both posts by Salva Kiir Mayardit
, with Riek Machar
as Vice-President of Southern Sudan.
was held from 9 to 15 January 2011. Former US
President Jimmy Carter
, among a number of foreign dignitaries, acted as an observer.
Voting on the referendum began on January 9, 2011. On 12 January, after three days of voting, representatives of the SPLA/M announced that, according to their estimates, the 60 percent turnout threshold required for the referendum's validity (corresponding to around 2.3 million voters) had been reached. Official confirmation came later the same day, when the referendum commission released a statement announcing that turnout would "exceed" the required 60 percent threshold. Jimmy Carter expressed his belief on 13 January that the referendum would likely meet international standards for both the conduct of the vote and freedom of voters. The United Nations reported that preliminary results would be expected by February 2, 2011, with final results expected within the following two weeks.
According to preliminary counts reviewed by the Associated Press
, consisting of 30,000 ballots in 10 polling stations, the sample had a 95% turnout with 96% in favour of secession, 3% in favour of unity and the rest invalid. Mohamed Ibrahim Khalil, chairman of the referendum commission, said 83 percent of eligible voters in the south and 53 percent in the north had voted.
issued a decree establishing 29 government ministries of South Sudan to constitute a cabinet
:
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
concern the system of government in the Republic of South Sudan, a country in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, and the people, organisations, and events involved in it.
History
Southern Sudan was an autonomous region of the Republic of SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
from 2005, after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Comprehensive Peace Agreement
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement , also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was a set of agreements culminating in January 2005 that were signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan...
between the government of Sudan
Politics of Sudan
Officially, the politics of Sudan takes place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic consociationalist republic, where the President of Sudan is Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a multi-party system...
and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
, to 2011, when South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
gained independence.
After several decades of a civil war that was one of the longest lasting and deadliest wars of the latter 20th century (the First Sudanese Civil War
First Sudanese Civil War
The First Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1955 to 1972 between the northern part of Sudan and the southern Sudan region that demanded representation and more regional autonomy...
and the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
) between the primarily Muslim and Arab government based in the north, and black Christian and animist people of the south that demanded more regional autonomy, a peace agreement known as the Naivasha Agreement was signed on January 9, 2005, giving autonomy to the state.
On January 9, 2005, the Government of Southern Sudan was established after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. John Garang, the former rebel leader of Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, as President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Vice President of Sudan. A constitution was adopted in December 2005.
On July 2005 Garang died in a helicopter crash in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, and was succeeded in both posts by Salva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first President of the Republic of South Sudan.-Sudanese civil wars:In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the Anyanya in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, he was a low-ranking officer...
, with Riek Machar
Riek Machar
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon , is the first vice-president of the independent Republic of South Sudan.Riek Machar obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1984 and then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War...
as Vice-President of Southern Sudan.
Independence referendum, 2011
A referendum on independence for Southern SudanSouthern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011
A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation...
was held from 9 to 15 January 2011. Former US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, among a number of foreign dignitaries, acted as an observer.
Voting on the referendum began on January 9, 2011. On 12 January, after three days of voting, representatives of the SPLA/M announced that, according to their estimates, the 60 percent turnout threshold required for the referendum's validity (corresponding to around 2.3 million voters) had been reached. Official confirmation came later the same day, when the referendum commission released a statement announcing that turnout would "exceed" the required 60 percent threshold. Jimmy Carter expressed his belief on 13 January that the referendum would likely meet international standards for both the conduct of the vote and freedom of voters. The United Nations reported that preliminary results would be expected by February 2, 2011, with final results expected within the following two weeks.
According to preliminary counts reviewed by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, consisting of 30,000 ballots in 10 polling stations, the sample had a 95% turnout with 96% in favour of secession, 3% in favour of unity and the rest invalid. Mohamed Ibrahim Khalil, chairman of the referendum commission, said 83 percent of eligible voters in the south and 53 percent in the north had voted.
Ministries
On 20 August 2011, President Salva Kiir MayarditSalva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first President of the Republic of South Sudan.-Sudanese civil wars:In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the Anyanya in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, he was a low-ranking officer...
issued a decree establishing 29 government ministries of South Sudan to constitute a cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
:
- Ministry of Cabinet Affairs
- Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
- Minister, Office of the President
- Minister for National Security, Office of the President
- Ministry of Justice
- Ministry of Interior
- Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
- Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
- Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development
- Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Ministry of Roads and Bridges
- Ministry of Transport
- Ministry of General Education and Instruction
- Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology
- Ministry of Environment
- Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning
- Ministry of Telecommunication and Postal Services
- Ministry of Petroleum and Mining
- Ministry of Electricity and Dams
- Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare
- Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management
- Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation
- Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism
- Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries
- Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports
See also
- List of Presidents of South Sudan
- List of Vice-Presidents of South Sudan
- Samson L. KwajeSamson L. Kwaje----Samson Lukare Kwaje was a senior member of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement's Political Bureau, the highest political organ of the former rebel movement that now governs Southern Sudan. He was the Minister of Information for the newly established Government of Southern Sudan from 2005 to...
External links
- Post-2011 scenarios in Sudan: What role for the EU?, by Suliman Baldo, Maria Gabrielsen, Fabienne Hara, Damien Helly, Fouad Hikmat, Michael Kevane, Roland Marchal, Tim Murithi, Luke Patey, edited by Damien Helly, Report No. 6, November 2009, European Union Institute for Security StudiesEuropean Union Institute for Security StudiesThe European Union Institute for Security Studies is a Paris-based EU agency of the Common Foreign and Security Policy . Its goals are to find a common security culture for the EU, to help develop and project the CFSP, and to enrich Europe’s strategic debate.The EUISS is an autonomous agency with...
- Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly
- Government of Southern Sudan Mission in the US
- Government of Southern Sudan Mission in Europe
- Government of Southern Sudan Mission in South Africa
- Bank of Southern Sudan
- Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Supply
- Southern Sudan Commission for Census, Statistics and Evaluation (SSCCSE)
- Official SPLM Website
- Gurtong Peace Project - Political Information Site