New books tell of Sudan and South Sudan's troubled relationship

Two new books tell the sorry tale of South Sudan and Sudan, and the oil at the heart of their dysfunctional relationship. Review by Anthea Pitt

South Sudan will mark the third anniversary of its independence on 9 July. In 2011, the sense of jubilation on the streets of Juba, the capital, was palpable. The future had arrived, it was filled with unimaginable promise. After decades of civil war and subjugation, South Sudanese were free and the future was theirs. This year, however, there is precious little to celebrate, save perhaps the hope an increasingly fragile ceasefire will hold, halting the country's descent into all-out civil war. Even if war is averted, South Sudan's problems are increasingly intractable. The country's treasury has been plundered, with an estimated $4 billion thought to have been siphoned off corruptly. Dissid