The main conflict in Sudan was the civil wars between north and South Sudan because of religious conflict between Christianity/tribal religions and Islam. Christianity is a monotheistic religion with three major branches. The major branches are Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. Islam is also monotheistic and broken up into two branches, Sunni and Shi’a. They are both universalizing religions, but Islam is mainly clustered in the Middle East, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, and Christianity is all over the world. The conflict began in 1955 and continues until this day. Religion was the main issue of the conflict. Now it is centered around oil. Northern Sudan’s population is Muslim; this caused them to be mostly Arabic-speaking. Whereas Southern Sudan’s population has a more African race, tradition, culture and religion, it has Christian and Western influences. Christianity was located in Northern Sudan, but it was eradicated in the 16th century and replaced by Islam, but Christianity was introduced to Southern Sudan by missionaries associated with British colonialism. Even though Southern Sudan now had its independence it was still threatened by Islamification and Arabization from Northern Sudan.
That is when the conflict started, when the two sides got different religions.
In an effort to form a solution for the civil war, Northern Sudan tried to convert Southern Sudan to Islam through missionary schools, which causes resistance from the South and more conflict. South Sudan did not appreciate the North trying to convert them because it insults their own religious beliefs. The North sees the South as needing molding, and their attachment to Arab Islamic identity grew strong as southern Sudan grew strong, which threatens North Sudan and their want for Christian dominance. A country's position in the conflict depends on religion since most people want to spread their religion. Christian-dominated countries like the United States, England, etc., would most likely be on South Sudan’s side because they are for the absorption of Christianity in Southern Sudan; like when there was British colonialism. Islam dominated areas like the middle east, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India might be more swayed towards Northern Sudan’s side because they support the Arabization and Islamification of Southern Sudan and want them to be converted to Islam.
The conflict is mainly political versus theological now, because of the outcome of the war and religious symbol of multi-fascism, causing the source of conflict to be over oil domination. This conflict mainly arose because of religious differences. Since South Sudan was becoming more Christian, and North Sudan is still Islam there is a lot of controversy between the two countries. North Sudan wanted to convert South Sudan, but South Sudan retaliated so it wouldn’t be converted. Currently, the conflict boiled down with the Sudan Call Declaration, but conflict is still unresolved politically, in Northern and Southern Sudan and a solution is still in the works for.
Civil wars like this one are what makes some countries in Africa unsafe to live in and causes an increase in refugees. If refugees do not have a place to move to it violates their human right, specifically right number 25, which is the right for food and shelter for all.
