Arab-Islamic predominance in postcolonial Sudan. The seeds of disintegration (1956-1964) (original) (raw)

2020, Arab-Islamic predominance in postcolonial Sudan. The seeds of disintegration (1956-1964)

The recent history of Sudan, as is evident from the strict international relevance and the tragic events linked with the birth of South Sudan in July 2011, has been punctuated by an endless series of abuses, inter-ethnic tensions and sectarian conflicts. The multi-ethnic composition and the evident religious disparities among the populations residing in the northern and southern regions of Sudan have significantly hampered the creation of a stable and solid national conscience during the chaotic post-revolutionary years. The "seeds of discord" between the two religious, social and cultural souls of the country, in fact, were very evident since the mid-fifties, when Khartoum obtained the coveted independence from the British Empire. In this article, after making a historical focus on the divisive role played by the Ottomans, Egyptians and English in the management of Sudanese political power, I intend to analyze the first chaotic post-independence years. The main goal of this paper is to highlight the archival sources and diplomatic documents in order to fully comprehend how Sudan, since the very the beginning, had little hope of preserving a lasting pax institutionalis. As an empirical case, I will refer to the so-called "Torit Mutiny", a rebellion that occurred in the southern part of the country in August 1955. From that moment on, even before independence (1956), an incurable rift was created between the South Sudanese, Nilotic, largely animist and ethnically sub-Saharan and North Sudanese, Arab and Islamic.