On Christian South Sudan

Not long ago, the current country of South Sudan used to be part of the country of Sudan. The constant tension between what is now South Sudan and what is now Sudan was cast as a conflict between the Muslim North and the Christian South. American Evangelical Christians raised alarm that their Christian brethren were being murdered by a Muslim regime in Sudan. And when things are cast as a fight between Christians and Muslims, all kinds of alarm bells begin ringing. America and other parties were quick to act and a truce was made that finally led to the independence of the country of South Sudan just over two years ago. The independence that came with much fanfare saw the death of talk about a Christian South Sudan and constant musings about ethnic tensions. Thus it is that a conflict that was initially cast as one between Christians and Muslims quietly morphed into an ethnic conflict. Now, no one is talking about a Christian South Sudan. We are now beginning to hear of ethnic cleansing as Christian voices are muted. One is left to wonder: is South Sudan still the part of the former Sudan that was said to be Christian? If so, where are the Christians now? Are these the same Christians who are now killing each other or was the whole conflict between the north and the south in the former Sudan not a Christian-Muslim thing, as we were made to understand, but a conflict about oil?

This brings to mind the current crisis in the Central African Republic which is now being cast as a Christian-Muslim conflict. When the dust settles, we will see that it was about something else. We need to do a better job calibrating the conflicts that happen in Africa. Facile calibrations give us the impression that we know what is going on when we are in fact ignorant of the facts on the ground.