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The Southern Sudan: From Conflict to Peace by Mohamed Omer BeshirReview by: John O. VollThe International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3 (1976), pp. 499-501Published by: Boston University African Studies CenterStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/216867 .

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BOOK REVIEWS 499 BOOK REVIEWS 499

to alienate "Negrophilist" sympathizers in Great Britain. The king, with good military sense, had also forbidden attacks on fortified places. In the open field, massed formations of spearmen still had a reasonable chance of defeating small bodies of infantry armed with single-shot weapons, provided the enemy permitted his flank to remain uncovered as the British had done at Isandhlwana. Against fortifications, without flanks to turn, the assegai stood little chance against the rifle.

Michael Glover, a distinguished military historian, has narrated this "epic" with much skill. His book is perceptive, well written, and succinct. It explains how a petty engagement has found its way into British battle hagiography (and even into filmland). It makes a valuable contribution to South African history. Above all, the book makes absorbing reading. It will appeal to all those who enjoy not only scholarship but also a good story.

L.H. GANN

Stanford University

THE SOUTHERN SUDAN: FROM CONFLICT TO PEACE. By Mohamed Omer Beshir. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1975.

Pp. xi, 188. $18.50.

The remarkable achievement of Sudanese leaders in recent years in

ending the war in the Southern Sudan on the basis of compromise can and should be an example to other countries struggling with problems of national unity. Mohamed Omer Beshir has outlined the process by which the conflict was resolved in The Southern Sudan: From Conflict to Peace, a continuation of his The Southern Sudan: Background to Conflict (New York, 1968). It begins with the Round Table Conference of 1965 and concludes with the Addis Ababa agreement in 1972.

Beshir's approach is primarily chronological, setting forth a descrip- tion of the major phases of the conflict. His focus is how the solution

emerged, so that his account concentrates on negotiations rather than on the fighting itself. As a Northern participant in the process committed to finding a peaceful solution, Beshir has made a major effort to avoid vigorous partisanship. As a result, the book presents an insider's perspective (he was involved in many of the conferences and

negotiations himself) without becoming an apologia or a propaganda tract.

Chapter 1 describes the 1965 Round Table Conference and the activities of the twelve-man committee created by that meeting. Beshir was personally involved in the events he covers here. The second

chapter presents a summary of Sudanese political developments relating

to alienate "Negrophilist" sympathizers in Great Britain. The king, with good military sense, had also forbidden attacks on fortified places. In the open field, massed formations of spearmen still had a reasonable chance of defeating small bodies of infantry armed with single-shot weapons, provided the enemy permitted his flank to remain uncovered as the British had done at Isandhlwana. Against fortifications, without flanks to turn, the assegai stood little chance against the rifle.

Michael Glover, a distinguished military historian, has narrated this "epic" with much skill. His book is perceptive, well written, and succinct. It explains how a petty engagement has found its way into British battle hagiography (and even into filmland). It makes a valuable contribution to South African history. Above all, the book makes absorbing reading. It will appeal to all those who enjoy not only scholarship but also a good story.

L.H. GANN

Stanford University

THE SOUTHERN SUDAN: FROM CONFLICT TO PEACE. By Mohamed Omer Beshir. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1975.

Pp. xi, 188. $18.50.

The remarkable achievement of Sudanese leaders in recent years in

ending the war in the Southern Sudan on the basis of compromise can and should be an example to other countries struggling with problems of national unity. Mohamed Omer Beshir has outlined the process by which the conflict was resolved in The Southern Sudan: From Conflict to Peace, a continuation of his The Southern Sudan: Background to Conflict (New York, 1968). It begins with the Round Table Conference of 1965 and concludes with the Addis Ababa agreement in 1972.

Beshir's approach is primarily chronological, setting forth a descrip- tion of the major phases of the conflict. His focus is how the solution

emerged, so that his account concentrates on negotiations rather than on the fighting itself. As a Northern participant in the process committed to finding a peaceful solution, Beshir has made a major effort to avoid vigorous partisanship. As a result, the book presents an insider's perspective (he was involved in many of the conferences and

negotiations himself) without becoming an apologia or a propaganda tract.

Chapter 1 describes the 1965 Round Table Conference and the activities of the twelve-man committee created by that meeting. Beshir was personally involved in the events he covers here. The second

chapter presents a summary of Sudanese political developments relating

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.147 on Fri, 9 May 2014 12:54:00 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

500 BOOK REVIEWS

to the Southern question in the period from 1965 to 1969. Southern political organizations are described in Chapter 3. In this section Beshir provides a rather detailed description of the program of the Southern Sudan provisional government, formed in 1967. In general terms the picture is confusing, with many individuals and groups appearing with bewildering suddenness.. Beshir's style of presentation reflects this situation, and the reader must struggle at times to keep track of the groups and events. Interestingly enough, his presentation of the Southern groups is much more detailed than that of Northern political parties.

The final three chapters of the book are an analysis of the solution and the events leading up to it. The key was the May revolution of 1969, and the early attitudes toward the South that it revealed are presented in Chapter 4. The complex series of contacts and negotiations leading up to the Addis Ababa agreement are found in Chapter 5, and Beshir's general conclusions in Chapter 6. In this final section Beshir provides some very interesting ideas about the causes of the conflict and the future prospects for Sudanese national integration. He is convinced that the regionalism concept contained in the agreement is a sound basis for national unity which will at the same time protect unique local identities. He argues that the solution is neither federalism nor centralism, predicting realistically that only much hard work can make the system operate successfully. The book closes with two appendices containing key documents in the story: the 9 June 1969 statement on the South by the new revolutionary government in Khartoum and the text of the Addis Ababa agreement.

Beshir basically describes the solution of the Sudanese war as a long series of actions by men like himself which lay the foundation for North-South agreement. Thus for him events like the Round Table Conference of 1965 are of great importance. His emphasis on continuity and the gradual working out of ideas may give the impression that a solution was merely a matter of time and patience. While there were always men of rational good will like Beshir on both sides, the May revolution's condemnation of the previous politicians, both Northern and Southern, was accurate. Perhaps only a real revolution could have made a government in Khartoum willing and able to say "The Southern people have a right to develop their respective cultures and traditions" (p. 156). But in addition, the political system in the North before 1969 was unable to produce the leadership willing to make that kind of necessary compromise. Also worth noting is that the key Southern leader in the final settlement, General Joseph Lagu, was relatively new as well. It was Lagu's consolidation of control with the Anya Nya, the Southern guerrilla army, in 1970 that gave the Southern movement sufficient unity to negotiate effectively. New leadership and new thinking as well as the careful, long-term efforts of men like Beshir made peace possible.

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.147 on Fri, 9 May 2014 12:54:00 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

BOOK REVIEWS 501 BOOK REVIEWS 501

That Beshir's first book, Background to Conflict, should be followed by a book looking from conflict to peace is truly a matter for rejoicing. And the volume itself is valuable in that it was written by an active participant who is an analytical observer as well. It is an important addition to the literature of modern Sudanese history, and should be of interest to all concerned with the problems of modern national integration.

JOHN O. VOLL

University qf New Hampshire

FROM SHANTYTOWN TO FOREST: THE STORY OF NORMAN DUKA. By Norman Duka, recorded and edited by Dennis and Gingel Mercer. Richmond, British Columbia, Canada: Liberation Support Movement Information Center, 1974. Pp. 105. $1.75.

The first impression this book gives is an unfavorable one. The lurid cover and unattractive drawings, the propagandist foreword with its somewhat patronizing reference to the illiteracy of its subjects, the naive calculations of what is called surplus value in the introduction-all these are rather off-putting. But once one gets to Norman Duka's story things change, and the fascination grows with each page. The story as edited has every mark of authenticity, and the editors, Dennis and Ginger Mercer, are to be congratulated on the skill with which they have apparently preserved the flavor.

Duka tells of his childhood growing up in the townships, the influences that molded his life, his political activity, and much else besides. Of more interest to the student of political science, he provides an interesting description of African politics of the townships in South Africa, of the work of the African National Congress, and of his own recruitment, training, and active participation as a guerrilla on the field in Umkonto we Sizwe. The story- is fairly descriptive, straightforward, and, considering its purpose, relatively undogmatic. There is little here that the scholar interested in African resistance movements in South Africa does not know, but much is confirmed in an interesting first-hand fashion.

One must, I suppose, remember that Duka is a member of a family with a history of resisting the South African government as participants in the ANC. As a result, he may not be typical of urban Africans. What is more, he was the man the ANC headquarters in Lusaka chose to

speak with the Mercers, and they would hardly have chosen someone

That Beshir's first book, Background to Conflict, should be followed by a book looking from conflict to peace is truly a matter for rejoicing. And the volume itself is valuable in that it was written by an active participant who is an analytical observer as well. It is an important addition to the literature of modern Sudanese history, and should be of interest to all concerned with the problems of modern national integration.

JOHN O. VOLL

University qf New Hampshire

FROM SHANTYTOWN TO FOREST: THE STORY OF NORMAN DUKA. By Norman Duka, recorded and edited by Dennis and Gingel Mercer. Richmond, British Columbia, Canada: Liberation Support Movement Information Center, 1974. Pp. 105. $1.75.

The first impression this book gives is an unfavorable one. The lurid cover and unattractive drawings, the propagandist foreword with its somewhat patronizing reference to the illiteracy of its subjects, the naive calculations of what is called surplus value in the introduction-all these are rather off-putting. But once one gets to Norman Duka's story things change, and the fascination grows with each page. The story as edited has every mark of authenticity, and the editors, Dennis and Ginger Mercer, are to be congratulated on the skill with which they have apparently preserved the flavor.

Duka tells of his childhood growing up in the townships, the influences that molded his life, his political activity, and much else besides. Of more interest to the student of political science, he provides an interesting description of African politics of the townships in South Africa, of the work of the African National Congress, and of his own recruitment, training, and active participation as a guerrilla on the field in Umkonto we Sizwe. The story- is fairly descriptive, straightforward, and, considering its purpose, relatively undogmatic. There is little here that the scholar interested in African resistance movements in South Africa does not know, but much is confirmed in an interesting first-hand fashion.

One must, I suppose, remember that Duka is a member of a family with a history of resisting the South African government as participants in the ANC. As a result, he may not be typical of urban Africans. What is more, he was the man the ANC headquarters in Lusaka chose to

speak with the Mercers, and they would hardly have chosen someone

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.147 on Fri, 9 May 2014 12:54:00 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions