The Genesis and Evolution of Humanitarian Operations in the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005)

Date
2024-07-24
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Abstract
This thesis focuses on the beginning and development of the symbiotic relationship between the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army(SPLA) and humanitarian agencies during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). To critically examine the origins of humanitarianism in Southern Sudan, this study analyzes the roles of colonial administrators and Christian missionaries in creating the foundation for humanitarian and developmental projects among the Southerners during the Anglo-Egyptian period (1899-1955). These happenings shaped the multifaceted differences between Northern and Southern Sudan during the post-colonial period. To understand the causes and effects of relief aid among the Southerners throughout the First Civil War (1955-1972), this study explores the roles of religious groups such as the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Caritas International in the unfolding and resolving of the conflict. Against this backdrop, the interwar years witnessed the ubiquitous activities of aid agencies in the Southern regions. Subsequently, the advent of the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) initially affected the progress of relief and rehabilitation projects. However, by the late 1980s, the warfare caused unprecedented devastation among the Southerners, creating the context for the interdependent relationship between SPLA and aid organizations within Southern Sudan. Concurrently, the liberation army exploited the influx of Southern refugees into camps in Ethiopia and Uganda to strengthen SPLA’s mutual relationship with International Organizations (IOs)and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) beyond the Southern regions. Based on these occurrences, this thesis uses a historical approach to further examine the emergence and impacts of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) as a catalyst that propelled the collaborative relationship between relief agencies and SPLA. Following the genesis of SPLA’s interaction with humanitarian agencies, different happenings determined the contraction and expansion of relief operations in the Southern regions, shaping the mutual connections between the liberation army and relief agencies during the post-Cold War period. As such, rather than examine the humanitarian operation of a specific NGO within a locality in Southern Sudan, this thesis uses a comparative analysis to examine factors that enhanced and hindered the feasibility of mounting relief aid in the Southern regions till the end of the Second Sudanese Civil War in 2005.
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Keywords
Humanitarianism, Refugees, Conflict, Relief Aid, SPLA
Citation
Sholeye, Y. O. (2024). The genesis and evolution of humanitarian operations in the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005) (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.