Archives for February 2011

BENTIU, SUDAN – At an oil field in southern Sudan’s oil-rich Unity state, a tar-colored sludge flowed out of the back of a truck into a man-made pool. A mile down the road, the flags of China, Malaysia, India and Sudan – the nationalities of the companies operating the field – fluttered in the breeze. […]

In January, southern Sudan held a historic self-determination referendum. Final results, announced this Monday, show that 98.83 percent of voters cast their ballots in favor of the region becoming independent, and Sudan’s president, Omar Al Bashir, is making all the right noises to suggest he is willing to let one-third of his territory go peacefully. […]

Across the globe, southern Sudanese are celebrating their imminent independence from the rule of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his predecessors in Khartoum. These northern rulers spent much of the past half-century engaged in a brutal effort to Arabize and Islamize the southern people. International attention is now focused on helping the chronically underdeveloped region […]

Driuni Jakani aims to transform his rural community in southern Sudan from postwar devastation to economic growth and prosperity. He’s already made a promising start. In January, southern Sudanese voted in a referendum in favor of becoming an independent nation. People like Mr. Jakani will be vital to the success of Africa’s newest country. “Right […]