I currently serve as the Regional Security Officer for the United States Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, and looked forward to the Spark cover article, only to be dismayed at reading the introduction: In the second sentence, the writer refers to “The Sudan.” Sudan and South Sudan have been distinct countries for more than five years. Referencing the pair or region as The Sudan may have been appropriate prior to Sudan’s independence. However, in the world of diplomacy and relief work, such references are not used, and the two, Sudan and South Sudan, are entirely separate and should be referenced as such.
Albert De Young ’83, Silver Spring, Maryland