Fighting in Sudan has led to many people fleeing to the bordering country South Sudan. In many cases, many that left South Sudan because of how troubled the country is are now being forced to return as a consequence of Sudan’s increasing violence. The UNHCR currently has refugee camps set up in Renk County in South Sudan and is facing a critical level of underfunding. Over 30,000 people have crossed into South Sudan, the UN estimates 90% of the refugees to be South Sudanese, however, the UNHCR predicts that that number is higher in reality.
This article highlights the increasing instability in the region near Sudan and South Sudan. Especially in the past, South Sudan was considered one of the most unstable countries in the world leading to many refugees to flee from South Sudan. However, now that Sudan has infighting, many of those same refugees find themselves fleeing back to the exact situation they fled from. South Sudan had to fight an (at the time) civil war to gain its independence from Sudan, however, South Sudan found itself in its own civil war seemingly moments after gaining its newfound independence. The region between Northern Africa, considered part of the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa is considered a shatterbelt due to constant fighting and no real hegemonic power in the region. This further infighting in Sudan and South Sudan are only contributing to the increasing instability in the region.
To connect back to class, the South Sudanese people barely recognize their own country as ruled by a legitimate government due to the tenuous way the country’s government got their right to leadership. Alongside the struggles with maintaining recognition as a ruling government, the people are tired of how the government is dealing with the problems that plague the nation, hence the massive shift of migrants from South Sudan to Sudan. Another connection to class is how Sudan originally formed, as it was under British control and when they decolonized around the world, they oftentimes haphazardly drew borders and called it a day. These borders that were drawn almost randomly have caused many cultural riffs throughout colonized continents that have led to borders being re-drawn due to countries fighting.