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Explore South Sudan with Aliya-Jasmine

Sudan At A Glance:

MTV VJ Aliya-Jasmine in Sudan

Geography: The largest country in Africa and tenth largest in the world, stretching from Egypt in the north to Uganda in the south, with 800 km of the River Nile offering largely untapped potential for irrigation, power generation and transport. Southern Sudan has fertile land, wildlife, forests and minerals of all kinds, including oil.

History Highlights: Has its origins in an empire named Kush that included Egypt and was ruled by a dynasty of black kings. Colonized by the British, gaining independence in 1956. Shortly after, civil war broke out between the Arab/Islamic north and the black African Christian and animist south. A peace deal was brokered in 1972, but conflict flared again in 1983 and lasted 21 years. A new peace agreement signed in 2005 gave increased autonomy to Southern Sudan and included a provision for a referendum on Southern Sudanese independence in 2011.

Quality of Life: According to the Human Development Index (which measures many aspects of quality of life), Sudan ranks 147 of 177 countries.

Current Challenges: Armed conflict flared up in Darfur in 2003 and continues to this day. Darfur conflict has forced an estimated 1.8 million children from their homes.

Situation of Girls: A teenage girl in Southern Sudan is far more likely to be a wife than a student, with one in five adolescent girls already a mother. Whole generation of girls missed out on the chance of a normal childhood and education because their families were displaced by the civil war. Sexual violence against women and girls has been used as a weapon of intimidation by all combatants during the civil war.

Plan's Response: In Darfur, Plan is providing educational materials, water and sanitation, and basic health services for children displaced by the conflict. In the South, we work with local partners to train young people in the vocational skills they need to earn a decent living. In the North and the East we are helping displaced people return to their communities, and helping communities deal with the challenges of violence and discrimination.