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| Autonomous Region (Southern Sudan) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Autonomous Region (Southern Sudan) |
| Settlement type | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | Sudan |
| Established title | Established |
| Established date | 1972 |
| Abolished title | Abolished |
| Abolished date | 2011 |
| Capital | Juba |
| Population as of | 2008 |
Autonomous Region (Southern Sudan) was a semi-autonomous polity in the southern part of Sudan from 1972 to 2011, created by the Addis Ababa Agreement (1972) and later reconstituted by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. It encompassed diverse peoples and landscapes, and its institutions interacted with regional actors such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, African Union and United Nations missions. The region's political evolution involved leaders, movements and treaties including the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, Sudan People's Liberation Army, and negotiations hosted in places such as Naivasha and Khartoum.
The 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement (1972) ended the first First Sudanese Civil War between the Anyanya insurgency and the Government of Sudan, granting autonomy to the south under the Southern Region (Sudan) arrangement. The collapse of autonomy in 1983 followed President Gaafar Nimeiry's policies including the September Laws (1983) and the imposition of Sharia law (Sudan), precipitating the Second Sudanese Civil War and the rise of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement led by figures like John Garang. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement negotiated between delegations from Khartoum and Naivasha restored autonomy as the Autonomous Region and created protocols on wealth sharing, power sharing and security arrangements. A 2011 South Sudanese independence referendum mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement led to international recognition of Republic of South Sudan after a majority vote, concluding the Autonomous Region's legal existence.
Autonomy institutions derived from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and included an Government of Southern Sudan structure with a President of Southern Sudan, a Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, and ministries that coordinated with national bodies in Khartoum on protocols such as the Naivasha Protocol on Power Sharing. Key figures included Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar within the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. Administrative divisions followed former provinces and later states such as Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, and Upper Nile, with local authorities interacting with organizations like the United Nations Mission in Sudan and non-governmental actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. Legal arrangements referenced international instruments including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1590 (2005) which authorized peacekeeping arrangements.
The region covered swamp, savanna and tropical forests across the Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile areas, intersecting rivers like the White Nile and wetlands such as the Sudd. Key towns included Wau, Malakal, Bor and Yei. The landscape influenced migration patterns between seasonal floodplains and dry-season grazing grounds used by communities historically connected to routes toward Bahr el Ghazal and Kordofan. Ecological pressures and infrastructure projects referenced regional plans tied to transboundary waters governed by actors like the Nile Basin Initiative and riverine disputes involving Egypt and Ethiopia.
Populations comprised numerous ethnic groups including the Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, Zande, Moru and Jurchol (Jie), each with distinct languages such as Dinka language, Nuer language and Lugbara language. Urban growth in Juba and other towns drew rural migrants and returned refugees following accords overseen by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and agencies like UNICEF, World Food Programme and World Health Organization. Religious composition included Christianity in South Sudan denominations such as the Episcopal Church of Sudan and Catholic Church in South Sudan, alongside traditional African religions and Islamic communities linked to trade networks with Darfur and Blue Nile regions.
Economic life relied on subsistence agriculture, cattle herding and cross-border trade connecting markets in Uganda, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic. Cash crops and commodities included sorghum, millet and livestock; petroleum reserves in Unity State and Upper Nile became central after agreements on Oil concessions in Sudan and revenue sharing under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Development actors such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme and NGOs including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières supported reconstruction, while infrastructure projects connected to the Juba–Wau Road and river transport on the White Nile shaped logistics.
Security dynamics involved the Sudan People's Liberation Army as the primary armed actor, integration efforts with Sudanese Armed Forces under the Protocol on Armed Forces and Security Arrangements, and splinter groups such as the South Sudan Liberation Movement. Intercommunal clashes, cattle raiding and disputes among Dinka and Nuer communities triggered cycles of violence exemplified by incidents in Pibor and Bentiu. International responses included United Nations Mission in Sudan, later succeeded by United Nations Mission in South Sudan, peacekeeping mandates from the United Nations Security Council, and mediation by figures and bodies like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and leaders from Kenya and Norway.
The Autonomous Region engaged with neighboring states Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt on transit, security and humanitarian corridors, and negotiated with international actors including the United States, United Kingdom and Norway which hosted or facilitated talks. Diplomatic interactions involved multilateral institutions such as the African Union and United Nations, and bilateral relations with countries supplying aid and observers like China and India. International legal and electoral monitoring was undertaken by missions such as the European Union Election Observation Mission and election support from agencies like the National Democratic Institute.
The Autonomous Region's institutional frameworks, negotiated settlements and political leadership paved the way for the 2011 independence of the Republic of South Sudan, recognized by members of the United Nations and regional bodies such as the African Union. Post-independence challenges echoed legacies from the Autonomous period: state formation, resource disputes over oil fields near Heglig and Bentiu, and political rivalries involving Salva Kiir and Riek Machar that led to later crises addressed by accords like the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (2015). The period remains central to studies by scholars and institutions including the School of Oriental and African Studies, United States Institute of Peace, International Crisis Group and historians of the Modern history of Sudan and South Sudan.
Category:History of South Sudan Category:States and territories established in 1972 Category:States and territories disestablished in 2011