Book Description

The civil war in Sudan is often portrayed as a battle between the North and the South of the country, between Islam and Christianity. This report, Sudan: Conflict and minorities, explains how this over-simplification obscures an understanding of the war and how it hides the position of minority groups and women within today’s Sudan. A clear understanding of the causes of the conflict is necessary if the war is to be brought to an end and the people are to have a right to development. That this is desirable has never been in doubt, with government forces, militias and the factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army committing gross human rights abuses against the civilian population. The report’s coordinating editor, Peter Verney, is a well-known authority on Sudan and its peoples, and Sudan: Conflict and minorities examines the position of various minority groups, ranging from the discrimination faced by the Copts, to the massacres of the Dinka and many others. Yet this repression is placed within a clear historical context. This context is important, given that the current government, since seizing power in 1989, has orchestrated a widespread increase in human rights violations on a scale previously unknown in Sudan, which has stifled both dissent and difference, repressing opposition forces and minority groups alike. The report ends with a series of recommendations which should be enacted immediately. Please note that the terminology in the fields of minority rights and indigenous peoples’ rights has changed over time. MRG strives to reflect these changes as well as respect the right to self-identification on the part of minorities and indigenous peoples. At the same time, after over 50 years’ work, we know that our archive is of considerable interest to activists and researchers. Therefore, we make available as much of our back catalogue as possible, while being aware that the language used may not reflect current thinking on these issues.