African Studies
Utafiti: Journal of African Perspectives
Call for Papers: Utafiti is inviting you to submit your manuscript – any topic in the humanities - for consideration in the next issues.
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The year started with the country in a difficult situation. South Sudan had closed its oilfields early in 2012 and so Sudan was receiving no revenue from the transit fees of South Sudan’s oil across Sudan’s territory. Government finances were badly affected since the bulk of its oil revenue had come from South Sudan’s oil prior to that country’s secession in 2011. As a result, Sudan had had to introduce an austerity programme which was already deeply unpopular, and discontent only increased with time as inflation escalated. Meanwhile, in the areas of conflict – in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan – there were few signs of peace being any nearer, while the future of the dispute with South Sudan over the Abyei border also remained unresolved. The government’s response was twofold: throughout the year it was seeking to divide the opposition, especially by preventing a linking of the political parties and the fighters in the conflict areas, while also trying to give the impression of being willing to reform, but – as became ever clearer – on its own terms. Relations with South Sudan were a major feature of these problems, especially the restoration of rents from the oil pipelines, but it was far from clear whether these could be resolved before the situation in Sudan worsened still further. Other foreign relations were less urgent, but Sudan still found that it made little headway with its attempts at reconciliation with the West, leaving it largely dependent on Asia, especially China, and the Gulf.