A strategy for economic and social development of southern Sudan in post conflict period

Abstract EN

The paper begins with a historical background of the conflict in the Sudan and by tracing previous attempts by Sudanese to resolve the conflict.

The efforts were started in the 1947 Juba Conference through the process of Intergovernmental Authority on Draught and Desertification (IGAD).

The need for finding a lasting solution to the conflict in Southern Sudan has been fueled by the desire to end the massive destruction and disintegration of civil society brought by the war in the South.

It is expected these various issues were identified as the main causes of conflict : poverty, underdevelopment and de facto economic and social exclusion of wide sectors of the Southern population, would be addressed.

This paper proposes a strategy to do just that for the post-war period in Southern Sudan.

It is divided into two levels.

Level one proposes on approach to the basic needs, which lays emphasis on food production and the provision of basic services such as education, health, clean water and sanitation, livestock vaccination, and the establishment of small-scale industries.

Level two proposes the establishment of a modern economic base for the South, including the rehabilitation of agricultural schemes and industrial facilities abandoned when war broke out again in 1983 It is suggested that at each level, both the local and international communities would substantially contribute in these efforts.

The paper concludes by suggesting that what is proposed is a realistic model for the development of a backward economy that has been rendered, even more, by the long-running civil war.