Chapter 7: William's Story

Sudan has a century-long history of conflict. Sudan was the biggest country in Africa until South Sudan seceded in 2011; together these countries have a combined population of approximately 54.4 million people (World Health Organisation, 2023a,b). Because of decades of conflict, both countries are categorised as low income, and have markers of severe disadvantage: the life expectancy in Sudan is 69.1 years of age (WHO, 2023a), compared with 62.8 years in South Sudan (compared with 83 years in Australia; WHO, 2023b). Sudan has a literacy rate of approximately 60%, compared with 27% for South Sudan.

The present-day disadvantage in Sudan and South Sudan has roots in long-standing religious conflict and the impacts of colonisation. Attempts by Britain and Egypt to gain control over Sudan because of its fertile lands around the Nile (Kebbede, 1997), known as the Anglo-Egyptian condominium, created a North-South divide, with two colonies established. The North was predominantly Arab/Muslim and hosted the elites of the country, whereas the south was considered ‘African and heathen’ (Ottaway & El-Sadany, 2012). This division was not formally established, which caused new conflicts when Sudan became independent in 1956, which saw the merging of the two colonies, which reinvigorated the fighting between north and south, between military and civilian governments, as well as other tribal conflicts.