War and Politics in Sudan ─ Cultural Identities and the Challenges of the Peace Process

On July 9, 2011, South Sudan became an independent state after more than half a century of civil conflict wrought with human rights abuse. The post-colonial history of Sudan has been characterized by two Civil Wars spanning almost two decades each: the first from 1955-1972 and the second from 1983-2005. With questions of national and regional identity at the heart of both conflicts, the Sudanese Civil Wars have highlighted the key issues faced by post-colonial countries. War and Politics in the Sudan offers, for the first time, a revisionist comparative analysis of these Sudanese Civil Wars, disputing the popular notion that the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement was simply a prelude to renewed conflict in 1983 and the eventual coup led by Omar al-Bashir and Hassan al-Turabi in 1989. In addition, Justin Leach posits that Sudan's size and diversity precludes the application of traditional theories of conflict resolution, questioning current approaches to the conflict's legacy. In this timely analysis of a region long beset by civil war, Leach outlines challenges to the Sudanese nationalist project, focusing on the strength of southern regional identities as well as the aims of northern political Islamists and potential problems for the new nation of South Sudan.

Justin Leach completed his PhD in Political Science and International Relations at the Australian National University in Canberra. He also holds an MA in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies from the ANU.