Borderlands and the Restructuring of Sudan Following South Sudan’s Secession
Publisher: Springer
Author(s): Abdalbasit Saeed
Date: 2017
Topics: Economic Recovery, Extractive Resources, Governance, Livelihoods
Countries: South Sudan, Sudan
The chapter recognises that the split between the two Sudans has given to political, economic and security challenges, and that these have been insufficiently addressed by the two Sudans in post-separation decade. Separate sections of the chapter focus on border issues between Sudan and Sudan, particularly, contentious issue of the oil-rich sectors. Flashpoints in the borderlands are identified and contemporary factors contributing to long-running disputes are discussed. It is suggested that if left to fester, conflict will not end by itself. Therefore, scholars need to define and identify the ‘borderlands’ as a legitimate space for research on social and economic interactions among diverse peoples and forms of livelihoods, peoples who are marginalised and entangled in crises beyond their power to control. It is also noted that the greatest potential for renewed conflict lies in the alignment of local resource-based disputes with conflicts between political and economic actors at the sub-national and national levels. National and international stakeholders must therefore work to promote resolution of local disputes and resource-sharing agreements to improve the prospects for peaceful, neighbourly relations between the two Sudans.