South Sudan and Sudan:Potential Transboundary Water

Issues Caused by the Forming of the World’s Youngest Country

Johnny Sullivan and Dave Christiansen

+Overview

July 9, 2011: South Sudan secedes from Sudan

Culmination of decades of fighting

Can new nation succeed?

What water issues does it face?

+Geographical Overview

Ethiopia

Eritrea

Egypt

Chad

Central African Republic

Congo

Libya

DR Congo

Uganda

Kenya

+Geographical Overview

Population Area (sq. mi)

North Sudan 30,894,000 728,215

South Sudan 8,260,490 239,285

+Ethnic Group Distribution

+Religion Distribution

+Language Distribution

+Infant Mortality Rate

+Primary School Completion

+“Poor” Food Consumption

+Conflict

Civil war between Northern and Southern regions of Sudan

Sudan granted independence Christian/Traditional African

southerners feared religious oppression from the Muslim north

1972: Addis Ababa Agreement ended fighting, created Southern Sudan Autonomous Region

First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972)

+Conflict

Second Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972)

Civil war between the Government of Sudan and rebel groups in south

Government abolished the Addis Ababa Agreement, attempting to declare all of Sudan an Islamic state

Fighting ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement

+2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Document designed to end Second Sudanese Civil War

6 years of autonomy for South Sudan

Referendum in 2011 98% of South Sudanese approved

independence

Officially seceded on July 9, 2011

+2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Exact location of border never decided Frequent land allocation disputes

80% of region’s oil reserves located in South Sudan, but established administration in North Sudan

Talks to share oil 50/50, but never codified Either way, Sudan loses at least 1/3 of its

oil revenue

South Sudan considering circumventing Sudan’s oil infrastructure, working with Kenya

+Current State of Both Countries

Water Resources In terms of climate, South Sudan is

in much better shape than Sudan

Main Sources of Water Sudan: Nile River South Sudan: Rainwater

harvesting

Sudan South Sudan

Average Annual Rainfall (cm)

10 120

+Current State of Both Countries

Water Resources In terms of infrastructure,

Sudan is much more developed than South Sudan

Since the CPA in 2005, South Sudan has been working to build infrastructure The Ministry of Water

Resources and Irrigation Not-for-profit Organizations

Water for South Sudan

+Current State of Both Countries

Economy The global financial crisis

greatly affected the progress of South Sudan, bringing a halt to many infrastructure improvement programs

Conflict Continued conflict in the

Darfur region and elsewhere in Sudan have created a great deal of uncertainty in the future of both countries

+Potential Future Issues

Water Resources Sudan relies heavily on the White Nile River for water, which flows

through South Sudan South Sudan could exert influence over Sudan if dams were to be

constructed Currently, South Sudan is far too poor to accomplish this

However, if they are able to establish themselves, this could create potential for transboundary water issues

+Potential Future Issues

Water Resources If South Sudan decides to join the Nile Basin Initiative, more countries

could be impacted than just Sudan If South Sudan sides with Sudan and Egypt, the status quo, which

involves Egypt receiving a large percentage of the Nile’s water, will be continued

If South Sudan sides with other upstream countries like Ethiopia, may tip the scales towards a more even distribution of the water.

+Discussion Questions

Do you think it likely that South Sudan will remain a sovereign nation, or will it dissolve due to a lack of resource infrastructure? How does the likelihood of another war affect this?

If South Sudan were able to exert influence over Sudan by, for instance, constructing dams along the White Nile or circumventing Sudan’s oil distribution infrastructure, how do you think this would affect the region?

Sudan is much more established in terms of infrastructure compared to South Sudan. Considering question 2, do you think Sudan would ever consider helping South Sudan develop their infrastructure with the hopes of deterring South Sudan from constructing dams, etc.?

What role, if any, should the rest of the world play in this dispute?