For over fifty years, the people of South Sudan fought for the right to be citizens of an independent nation-state. When this goal was finally achieved, however, it quickly became evident that the South Sudanese nation was not nearly as cohesive as hoped. The result has been a catastrophic civil war. Spanning South Sudan's nation-building struggle from its inception up until the current civil war, this book challenges the notion that the continued violence of this process can be reduced to either identity difference or the fault of individual leaders. Rather, it uses the leadership process to understand the complex progressions and relationships that have characterised South Sudan's nation-building trajectory. The book argues that the core driving force behind the current conflict in South Sudan can be found not in ethnicity, the “resource curse” or power struggle, but in a set of destructive relationships that have fueled violence and oppression in the country for the better part of a century. This cyclical leadership process has entrapped the country in an increasingly destructive and contradictory nation-building process that continues to spiral and disintegrate.

"For over fifty years, the people of South Sudan fought for the right to be citizens of an independent nation-state. When this goal was finally achieved, however, it quickly became evident that the South Sudanese nation was not nearly as cohesive as hoped. The result has been a catastrophic civil war. Spanning South Sudan's nation-building struggle from its inception up until the current civil war, this book challenges the notion that the continued violence of this process can be reduced to either identity difference or the fault of individual leaders. Rather, it uses the leadership process to understand the complex progressions and relationships that have characterised South Sudan's nation-building trajectory. The book argues that the core driving force behind the current conflict in South Sudan can be found not in ethnicity, the "resource curse" or power struggle, but in a set of destructive relationships that have fueled violence and oppression in the country for the better part of a century. This cyclical leadership process has entrapped the country in an increasingly destructive and contradictory nation-building process that continues to spiral and disintegrate"--

The resolution of the Sudanese conflict, one of the longest and deadliest civil wars in Africa, continues to perplex human imagination. Leadership, as a necessary factor in nation-building, has not met the expectations of the Sudanese people. These expectations include the quest for political stability, national security, and a peaceful government that is capable of leading the nation to economic prosperity. From 1969 to 1985, Jaafar el Nimeiry dominated historical, political, social, and economic factors whose interplay led to the resumption of the civil war in 1983. This book greatly contributes to national and international understanding of conflicts related to nation-building processes. The voiceless, downtrodden, and the powerful have all expressed their views about the conflict.

For many centuries, the politics of Sudan has been characterised by racial dichotomy and identity crisis, specifically between the North and the South. Added to these is the long history of domination, unfavourable policies and uneven development. The resulting marginalisation, neglect and underdevelopment has bred a series of fierce conflicts culminating in one of the longest civil wars in Africa - between the Khartoum forces and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (and Movement), SPLA/M. The war ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Nairobi on 9th January 2005. Unlike other publications, The Southern Sudan: Struggle for Liberty provides an in-depth view of the struggle from a veteran's perspective. Having himself lived the struggle and rising to the position of Commander in the SPLA, the author renders a story of the conflict of Southern Sudan right from the Juba Conference of 1947 and the August 1955 mutiny through the Anyanya Movements to the civil war and eventual peace. Using personal experience and accounts, he also carries with him the personalities and events that shaped the struggle and expresses his hopes and fears of the future of Southern Sudan. The events in the book are captivating, the narrative riveting and the historical perspective academically stimulating. The author's standpoint on issues is so provocative that it's bound to raffle a number of feathers in the political corridors of Southern Sudan.