When Sudan won independence on New Year’s Day in 1956, two features stood out in the new nation: it was the largest country in Africa, and it was already embroiled in civil war that had erupted several months earlier.
Some see a link between Sudan’s vast landscape, the many different groups that make up the country, and the repeated internal conflicts that have plagued the nation for decades.
For the past month, two rival generals have been feuding for control of the capital Khartoum, raising fears of another major conflagration.
“If you take Sudan, and you look at other large countries throughout the world, not just in Africa, they are almost always very difficult to govern,” said Susan D. Page, a former U.S. diplomat who spent years working in the country.
She’s one of three former negotiators who spoke to NPR about the challenges of establishing and maintaining a…
