The growing buzz of anticipation surrounding Sudan, set off by the five-year anniversary of the peace agreement that ended Sudan’s civil war, looming elections, and a vote for independence, has been accompanied by an outpouring of writing on the subject of South Sudan’s future and the obstacles that must be addressed in a few short months. Add to that pile this Relief Web map which provides a visual articulation of the basket of humanitarian issues in the South that make holding elections and a referendum, as well as the prospect of an independent nation, so daunting.
This graphic – showing assaults from the Lord’s Resistance Army in the West, an influx of Congolese refugees from the South, inter-tribal violence throughout, and even the complicated effects that extreme seasonal climates have on issues of livelihood, sustenance, and ethnic divisions – illustrates the many problems that the South’s population continue to face. These problems will require a responsive government with the political will to seriously address them – not simply the holding of elections or a referendum.