Examining the experiences of the South since Sudan’s independence, this article analyses why the choice of ‘unity’ became an unrealistic option for South Sudanese. Stressing that self-determination for the South was the only way to resolve Sudan’s long-standing national crisis, this article points out, at the same time, that it left unresolved the issue of self-determination for the peoples of the northern Sudan who joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army and brought new problems, particularly to the newly created international border area between Sudan and South Sudan.
