Learn more about Sudan

In 1956, Sudan became the first country independent from Great Britain and Egypt in East and Central Africa. However, for almost four decades, the East African country with a population of 32.6 million has been the scene of intermittent conflict.

An estimated two million people have died from war-related causes namely: persecution, slavery, genocide and induced famine in South Sudan.

Four million Christians have been internally displaced and thousands have fled the country for safety in the neighboring countries.

Causes of Persecution

1. Religion is a major factor due to the Arabization policy that began in 1983 through implementation of sharia law in the whole of Sudan. This policy has affected social and religious life of the non-muslims in Sudan, and the Christians in particular.
   
   
2. Social and economic disparities are also major contributing factors. Examples are:
   
   
• Digging the Jonglei Canal to increase the Nile water flow for Egypt. If this project had been accomplished it would undermine the agricultural productivity of the people in South Sudan.
  
  
• The continuous interference by the Khoartoum government into political and democratic process in the Southern Sudan.
  
  
• The provincial borders dispute in 1980 in which the former president Jaafar Mohammed Nemeri attempted to redraw the provincial boundaries. To curve off the oil rich areas in Bentui South Sudan, and fertile merchanized agricultural lands of western Bahr-El-ghazal and Northern Upper Nile.
  
  
• The other major factor is the placement of the oil refinery in Port Sudan instead of the Bentui South Sudan that undermines the economics balance of the North and the South.
  
  

It is against this background, that South Sudan Voices of Hope is committed to bring holistic development to marginalize people in South Sudan, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains to combat physical and spiritual poverty, illiteracy, and disease as highlighted in our objectives.