The Relationship between Ethiopia and Sudan. With Particular References to South Sudan from 1950s to 2011 (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject History - Africa, grade: A, , course: History, language: English, abstract: The main aim of this seminar paper is to discuss the Ethiopia-Sudan Relationship: With Particular References to South Sudan from the 1950s, when the first South Sudanese civil war began, to South Sudan's independence in 2011. Ethiopia and Sudan have a long historical relationship dating back to ancient times.

Ethiopia's border with Sudan is the longest of its kind, and the two countries have a strong people-to-people relationship. The colonial border demarcation was carried out by colonial officials to advance their interests while disregarding the needs of the local people, which worsened tensions along the borderland.

Various treaties signed during the colonial era defined the majority of the border between Sudan and Ethiopia, but clarity has been lacking. The two country's relations have fluctuated between cordial friendship and antagonistic confrontation. Due to ideological differences between the ruling elites, the relationship was characterized by one party interfering in the internal affairs of the other, and both began assisting rebels in their respective countries: Ethiopia supported the SPLA, and Khartoum also supported Eritrean and Tigrayan rebel movements within Ethiopia.

Mutual mistrust, suspicion, and uncertainty have undermined good neighbourly relations for the majority of the time under consideration. The Nile River and its tributaries were exclusively allocated to Egypt and Sudan under a 1959 agreement, which denied any water rights to other riparian states, which is the main point of contention between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. Both superpowers used replacements as proxies in the Horn of Africa during the Cold War.

Sudan became an important American client from 1976 until the Cold War's end, and Ethiopia became the largest recipient of Soviet foreign aid in 1979. After a long period of struggle, Southern Sudan held a referendum from the 9th to the 15th of January 2011 on whether it should remain a part of Sudan or become independent and with a majority of per cent voting in favour of independence. This seminar paper provides insights into the issues raised above, as well as others related to Ethiopia and Sudan's relationship: With Particular Reference to South Sudan between the aforementioned epochs.