Introduction

The year 2011 marked a turning point in the history of Sudan, a country known for its racial and ethnic violence. In that year, as African leaders strove to renew the image of the African continent through the vision of African unity and renaissance, South Sudan seceded from Sudan. The split of Sudan into two countries, thus, has been seen as a setback to the promising vision of a new Africa. The secession of South Sudan was made possible by a political agreement between the warring parties to end the longest civil war in Africa. With the help of the United States, Sudan’s Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Army (SPLM/A) signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 to end two decades of civil war. The agreement secured the right of self-determination to the people of Southern Sudan and enabled them to vote in a referendum for their independence from Sudan in July 2011. However, South Sudan, the newest African state, slid into civil war in December 2013, just two years after winning its hard-won independence.