For readers interested in really engaging with the historical depth of the conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan, The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars by Douglas H Johnson should be required reading, says Richard Stupart

Stupart, Richard

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Book	Review:	The	Root	Causes	of	Sudan’s	Civilwars,	by	Douglas	H	JohnsonFor	readers	interested	in	really	engaging	with	the	historical	depth	of	the	conflicts	in	Sudan	and	South	Sudan,	TheRoot	Causes	of	Sudan’s	Civil	Wars	by	Douglas	H	Johnson	should	be	required	reading,	says	Richard	Stupart.	There	are	few,	if	any,	contemporary	historians	as	well	versed	in	the	history	of	the	Sudans	as	Douglas	H.	Johnson,and	this	sixth	edition	of	an	already	comprehensive	history	of	the	region	extends	what	was	already	an	importantbook	for	those	studying	the	Sudans.	As	the	political	and	humanitarian	situation	in	South	Sudan	continues	todeteriorate	year	after	depressing	year,	and	an	unrepentant	Sudan	eagerly	hopes	to	be	let	in	from	the	cold	ofinternational	sanctions,	this	revised	edition	is	a	welcome	reminder	of	the	history	of	the	two	nations.	It	serves	as	anoutline	for	the	reader	of	both	the	extraordinarily	fractured	nature	of	the	many	conflicts	in	the	contemporarySudans	and	their	deep	historical	contexts.	Root	Causes	is	an	antidote	toviewing	the	countries’	modern	antagonisms	solely	through	lenses	of	tribe,religion	or	the	economics	of	oil.The	book	begins	with	a	background	to	British	rule	in	the	Sudans	in	1899,	andproceeds	chronologically	up	to	the	massacres	that	took	place	in	Juba	duringDecember	2013	that	marked	South	Sudan’s	de	facto	fall	into	civil	war.	RootCauses	is	an	expansive	historical	tour	of	the	history	of	the	north-south	tensionthat	ultimately	fractured	Sudan,	with	admirable	attention	paid	in	the	latter	partof	the	book	to	exploring	something	of	the	contemporary	history	of	the	‘threeareas’	(Abyei,	South	Kordofan	and	Blue	Nile)	that	emerged	as	politicalsplinters	from	the	2005	Comprehensive	Peace	Agreement.	The	agreementthat,	as	the	cliché	goes,	was	neither	comprehensive,	agreed,	nor	able	toproduce	meaningful	peace.	While	not	as	thorough	in	its	handling	of	each	ofthe	three	areas	as,	say,	Totten	&	Gryzb’s	Conflict	in	the	Nuba	Mountains:From	Genocide	by	Attrition	to	the	Contemporary	Crisis,	links	between	thethree	areas	and	the	broader	dynamics	of	the	Sudans’	internal	politics	are	welldrawn.The	book	explores	in	detail	the	nationalist	politics	of	Khartoum,	and	thedevelopment	of	the	combination	of	land	dispossession	and	Islamicnationalism	that	came	to	characterise	the	relationship	between	Sudan’scentre	and	its	periphery.	Yet	Douglas	–	perhaps	in	the	manner	of	a	meticulous	historian	–	refuses	to	yield	to	asimple	account	of	conflict	in	the	Sudans	that	rests	on	this	dynamic	alone.	Whether	through	detours	into	the	rolesof	Uganda	and	Ethiopia	in	supporting	rebellion,	or	the	career	histories	of	recognisable	characters	such	as	JohnGarang,	Salva	Kiir	or	Jafaar	Nimairi,	Root	Causes	does	not	skimp	on	specific	detail	when	the	opportunitypresents	itself.As	a	result,	the	book	will	make	tough	reading	for	non-academic	audiences,	compared	to,	say,	Mukash	Kapila’spopular-press	Against	a	Tide	of	Evil.	But	for	readers	interested	in	really	engaging	with	the	historical	depth	of	theconflicts	in	Sudan	and	South	Sudan,	Root	Causes	should	be	required	reading.	There’s	simply	no	comparableaccount	of	how	the	forces	shaping	the	contemporary	Sudans	developed	historically.	The	root	causes	of	Sudan’s	Civil	wars.	Douglas	H	Johnson.	James	Currey.	2016Africa at LSE: Book Review: The Root Causes of Sudan’s Civil wars, by Douglas H Johnson Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2017-09-01Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2017/09/01/book-review-the-root-causes-of-sudans-civil-wars-by-douglas-h-johnson/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/Richard	Stupart	(@wheretheroad)	is	a	PhD	researcher	at	the	LSE.	His	primary	research	interests	are	mediarepresentation	and	humanitarian	response,	empathy	and	duty	to	distant	suffering,	and	practices	of	bearingwitness	in	conflict	reporting.	Richard’s	work	has	included	reporting	on	post	conflict	recovery	in	northern	Uganda,critiques	of	humanitarian	response,	and	research	periods	in	South	Sudan	and	the	eastern	Democratic	Republic	ofCongo.		The	views	expressed	in	this	post	are	those	of	the	author	and	in	no	way	reflect	those	of	the	Africa	at	LSEblog	or	the	London	School	of	Economics	and	Political	Science.Africa at LSE: Book Review: The Root Causes of Sudan’s Civil wars, by Douglas H Johnson Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2017-09-01Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2017/09/01/book-review-the-root-causes-of-sudans-civil-wars-by-douglas-h-johnson/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/

Book review: the root causes of Sudan's civil wars, by Douglas H Johnson

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