For centuries the people of Southern Sudan have posed a barrier to the spread of Islam from the north.  Southern Sudanese are comprised primarily of Christians and traditional tribal worshippers while Arab Muslims are the majority in the North. Sudan became independent of British rule in 1956 at which time ruling authority for both the North and South was transferred to an Islamic government based in Khartoum. Soon after the British left, a civil war erupted between the North and South which raged on until 1972.  The following 10 years of relative peace was shattered in 1983 when a new extremist government took power in Khartoum and began a renewed campaign to unite all of Sudan under Islam's strict Sharia law.  Because Sharia law was so contrary to their cultural traditions, the South Sudanese defiantly rejected this imposition and a second phase of the war began which lasted until 2005.

This war was very complex with deep-rooted tribal conflicts, religious and ethnic persecution, outside Islamic influences and the discovery of oil in the South all contributing to the chaos.  In the end, however, the result was over 2 million Southern Sudanese killed either by direct military action or starvation, over 4 million displaced, villages and social structures destroyed, women and children enslaved and the existing church left scattered.

In January of 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed ending major hostilities between the North and South. As a part of this agreement, the South was given the right to vote in January of 2011 to remain a part of a united Sudan or to separate and become the independent country of South Sudan. That vote did take place with nearly 99% of the people declaring for separation. On July 9th of 2011, South Sudan will become the 193rd country in the world. The Sudanese have suffered unimaginable tribulations, but they are a resilient and joyful people who now need a hand in regaining their independent lifestyles apart from the relief efforts which have sustained them the past 25 years.