This thesis examines the problem of human diversity within the modem African state, and in particular the efforts of one African state, the Sudan, to maintain its territorial integrity and to come to terms with its human diversity. The work begins by tracing the development of the nation state as a form of spatial and political organization expressing the relationship between the nation, the homeland and the political state. The variety of means employed by governments to adjust the relationship, and the forces within states which can lead to disintegration are examined. A set of criteria involved in the development of secession movements is suggested, and subsequently used as guidelines in the study of the phenomenon of secession in Africa. Consideration is also given to the variety of power-sharing formulae employed by governments as solutions to such problems. The traditional African concepts of spatial organization and attitudes to human diversity are examined to form the basis for an understanding of the effects of the imposition of colonial rule, and of the resultant post-independence experience of threatened disintegration and secession in several African states. In the latter part of the work an examination of the experience of the Sudan demonstrates the degree to which a history of resentment, followed by questionable colonial and postindependence policies, resulted in threats to her territorial integrity. The solution to the problem is examined and an assessment made of the possibility of success for the current, more accommodating policy of recognizing the reality of diversity and of encouraging decentralized government.

No description available.

The objective of this study is to investigate the origins and process of contemporary uneven development, regional disparities and political violence as reflected in the recurrent civil wars in Sudan. The Study confirmed the general outcry from the masses, that socioeconomic and political disparities and injustices imposed on the Sudanese people by Anglo-Egyptian Colonialism have been continued and expanded by the neo-colonial state under the Sectarian Jallaba leaders who inherited both political and economic power, after political independence. All peaceful demands for socio-economic and political equality and justice by the masses from the most backward areas have always been violently suppressed by the neo-colonial state. As a result, several political and liberation movements including SPLA/SPLM emerged. The Study argues that all attempts by successive governments in Khartoum to solve the current problems have failed because they did not correctly recognize the root causes of the problems and have instead continued to impose Islamization, Arabization and the policies of 'divide and rule' as a strategy to maintain the status quo and to strengthen the process of economic and political alienation of the majority of Sudanese people. The author concludes that the most acceptable solution to the majority of Sudanese people would be to replace what this thesis characterizes as a settler neo-colonial state, with a new national democratic secular federal state in which the Sudanese people, regardless of race and creed can live in peace and prosperity.

Between 1945 and 1969 the Sudanese achieved independence and overthrew a military junta with a popular uprising. Nevertheless both democratic periods were quickly ended by military coups. At the same time a civil war divided the country. The thesis asks why the democratic structures were so unstable, and unable to end the conflict between north and south. It argues that the ideas about the Sudanese nation by different groups were so contradictory, that no nation could be built. As a result, the political system failed to find a stable form and to deliver policy results to the constituents. The thesis is using political parties as units of analysis and primarily the constitutional process and, secondarily, questions of independence and sovereignty, as prisms. It discusses the history of the political parties within the context of the political history of Sudan. The discussions about the constitution are understood as one form of expressing ideas about the nation. The thesis presents the different suggestions for the constitution by different parties, especially in regards to governance, federalism, and religion. These contradictory ideas led to the failure of the constitution writing process. The thesis argues that the contradictory positions of the parties created a dual deadlock, which led to a breakdown of democracy. Firstly, due to reciprocal distrust, widely diverging platforms, and generally the difficulty of forming coalition governments, especially in the absence of a democratic tradition, coalitions became extremely unstable and politicians were forced to invest a lot of time and effort to keep coalitions alive and in consequence concrete political actions did not receive enough attention. Secondly, the divergent perceptions of the nation led to a situation where they stopped to see each other as part of the same nation and therefore stopped to recognise others as legitimately participating in the political process.

MAIR / Department of Development Studies