Causes Of Economic Marginalization In Sudan

Concerns of economic marginalisation arose due to issues relating to the access to available water and grazing land. The western region of Darfur faced heavy drought in the 1970s. In the bid to secure water and grazing land the Arab nomads attacked the settled farmers. Their actions served to economically shift the balance of life between the nomadic Arabic tribes(pastoralists) and settled farmers. The latter therefore effectively became marginalised.
Political marginalisation played an even more important role in the instigation of the conflict.

In Sudan there is inherent disunion between the ‘African’ Sudanese and the ‘Arab’ Sudanese. The divisions between the Sudanese were further entrenched due to discriminatory administrative policies spanning Sudan’s history. Traces of these policies can be found in Ottoman rule and the Condominium (consisting of the separative policies administered under which Britain rule of the south).

The Darfuri tribes, Fur and Zaghawa were attacked by Arabs. They would target them due to their identity as ‘black’ or ‘African’. In retaliation, these tribes formed rebel groups, the SLA and the Justice Equality Movement (JEM).

In 2002, while peace negotiations in north-south conflict were underway in Naivasha, Darfur faced civil war. The conflict created a situation unique to the north-south Sudan conflict. Pockets of violent clashes in the 1990s had developed into a much more serious war as these rebels clashed with government forces.

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