Sudan (officially the Republic of
Sudan) (Arabic: ??????? ?as-Sudan)[1] is the largest country in
Africa[2] and tenth largest country in the world by area. It is
bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea
and Ethiopia to the east, Kenya and Uganda to the southeast, Democratic
Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic to the southwest,
Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest. The country's name
derives from the Arabic Bilad-al-sudan, literally "lands of
the blacks."[1]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Early history of Sudan
1.2 Christian kingdoms
1.3 The spread of Islam
1.4 Kingdom of Sinnar
1.5 Union with Egypt 1821-1885
1.6 Mahdist Revolt
1.7 Mahdist Rule: The Mahdiya
1.8 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 1899-1956
1.9 Independence January 1, 1956
1.10 First Sudanese Civil War 1955 - 1972
1.11 Second Sudanese Civil War 1983 - 2005
1.12 Southern Sudan
1.13 Darfur conflict 2003 - Present
1.14 Chad-Sudan conflict
1.15 Eastern Front
1.16 Humanitarian needs and 2007 floods
2 Politics
3 Foreign relations
4 Legal system
5 Human rights
6 States and districts
7 Autonomy, separation, conflicts
8 Geography
9 Economy
10 Demographics
10.1 Peoples of Sudan
11 Official languages
12 Culture
13 Sudanese writers, artists and singers
14 Education
15 See also
16 Notes and references
17 External links
[edit] History
Statue of a Nubian king, Sudan.Main article: History of Sudan
[edit] Early history of Sudan
Main article: Early history of Sudan
Archaeological evidence has confirmed that the area in the north
of Sudan was inhabited at least 60,000 years ago. A settled culture
appeared in the area around 8000 BCE, living in fortified mud-brick
villages, where they subsisted on hunting and fishing, as well as
grain gathering and cattle herding.
The area was known to the Egyptians as Kush and had strong cultural
and religious ties to Egypt. In the 8th century BCE, however, Kush
came under the rule of an aggressive line of monarchs, ruling from
the capital city, Napata, who gradually extended their influence
into Egypt. About 750 BCE, a Kushite king called Kashta conquered
Upper Egypt and became ruler of Thebes until approximately 740 BCE.
His successor, Piankhy, subdued the delta, reunited Egypt under
the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, and founded a line of kings who ruled
Kush and Thebes for about a hundred years. The dynasty's intervention
in the area of modern Syria caused a confrontation between Egypt
and Assyria. When the Assyrians in retaliation invaded Egypt, Taharqa
(688-663 BCE), the last Kushite pharaoh, withdrew and returned the
dynasty to Napata, where it continued to rule Kush and extended
its dominions to the south and east.
In 590 BCE, an Egyptian army sacked Napata, compelling the Kushite
court to move to Meroe near the 6th cataract. The Meroitic kingdom
subsequently developed independently of Egypt, and during the height
of its power in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE, Meroe extended over
a region from the 3rd cataract in the north to Sawba, near present-day
Khartoum (the modern day capital of Sudan).
The pharaonic tradition persisted among Meroe's rulers, who raised
stelae to record the achievements of their reigns and erected pyramids
to contain their tombs. These objects and the ruins of palaces,
temples and baths at Meroe attest to a centralized political system
that employed artisans' skills and commanded the labour of a large
work force. A well-managed irrigation system allowed the area to
support a higher population density than was possible during later
periods. By the 1st century BCE, the use of hieroglyphs gave way
to a Meroitic script that adapted the Egyptian writing system to
an indigenous, Nubian-related language spoken later by the region's
people.
In the 2nd century CE, the people known as the Nobatae occupied
the Nile's west bank in northern Kush. Eventually they intermarried
and established themselves among the Meroitic people as a military
aristocracy. Until nearly the 5th century, Rome subsidized the Nobatae
and used Meroe as a buffer between Egypt and the Blemmyes. About
CE 350, an Axumite army from Abyssinia captured and destroyed Meroe
city, ending the kingdom's independent existence.
[edit] Christian kingdoms
By the 6th century, three states had emerged as the political and
cultural heirs of the Meroitic kingdom. Nobatia in the north, also
known as Ballanah, had its capital at Faras, in what is now Egypt;
the central kingdom, Muqurra (Makuria), was centred at Dunqulah,
about 150 kilometers south of modern Dunqulah; and Alawa (Alodia),
in the heartland of old Meroe, which had its capital at Sawba (now
a suburb of modern-day Khartoum). In all three kingdoms, warrior
aristocracies ruled Meroitic populations from royal courts where
functionaries bore Greek titles in emulation of the Byzantine court.
A missionary sent by Byzantine empress Theodora arrived in Nobatia
and started preaching the Gospel of Christ about 540 AD. The Nubian
kings became Monophysite Christians. However, Makuria was of the
Melkite Christian faith, unlike Nobatia and Alodia.
[edit] The spread of Islam
After many attempts at military conquest failed, the Arab commander
in Egypt concluded the first in a series of regularly renewed treaties
known as AlBaqt (pactum) with the Nubians that governed relations
between the two peoples for more than 600 years.
Islam progressed in the area over a long period of time through
intermarriage and contacts with Arab merchants and settlers. In
1315, a Muslim prince of Nubian royal blood ascended the throne
of Dunqulah as king.
The two most important Arabic-speaking groups to emerge in Nubia
were the Jaali and the Juhayna. Both showed physical continuity
with the indigenous pre-Islamic population. Today's northern Sudanese
culture combines Nubian and Arabic elements.
[edit] Kingdom of Sinnar
During the 1600s, the people called the Funj under a leader named
Amara Dunqus appeared in southern Nubia and supplanted the remnants
of the old Christian kingdom of Alwa, establishing As-Saltana az-Zarqa
(the Blue Sultanate)at Sinnar. The Blue Sultanate eventually became
the keystone of the Funj Empire. By the mid-16th century, Sinnar
controlled Al Jazirah and commanded the allegiance of vassal states
and tribal districts north to the 3rd cataract and south to the
rain forests. The government was substantially weakened by a series
of succession arguments and coups within the royal family. In 1820
Muhammad Ali of Egypt sent 4,000 troops to invade Sudan. The pasha's
forces accepted Sinnar's surrender from the last Funj sultan, Badi
IV.
[edit] Union with Egypt 1821-1885
Main article: History of Sudan under Muhammad Ali and his successors
In 1820, the Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha invaded and conquered
northern Sudan. Though technically the Wali of Egypt under the Ottoman
Sultan, Muhammad Ali styled himself as Khedive of a virtually independent
Egypt. Seeking to add Sudan to his domains, he sent his son Ibrahim
Pasha to conquer the country, and subsequently incorporate it into
Egypt. This policy was expanded and intensified by Ibrahim's son,
Ismail I, under whose reign most of the remainder of modern-day
Sudan was conquered. The Egyptian authorities made significant improvements
to the Sudanese infrastructure (mainly in the north), especially
with regard to irrigation and cotton production.
[edit] Mahdist Revolt
Main article: Mahdist War
In 1879, the Great Powers forced the removal of Ismail and his replacement
by his son Tewfik I. Tewfik's corruption and mismanagement resulted
in the Orabi Revolt, which threatened the Khedive's survival. Tewfik
appealed for help to the British, who subsequently occupied Egypt
and Sudan in 1882, ostensibly to guarantee the authority of the
Khedive. In reality, however, the British largely took control of
Egyptian and Sudanese affairs, fanning ever greater nationalist
resentment.
Eventually, revolt broke out in Sudan, led by the Sudanese religious
leader Muhammad ibn Abdalla, the self-proclaimed Mahdi (Guided One),
who sought to purify Islam and end foreign domination in Sudan.
His revolt culminated in the fall of Khartoum and the death of the
British General Charles George Gordon (Gordon of Khartoum) in 1885.
The Egyptian and British forces withdrew from Sudan leaving the
Mahdi to form a short-lived theocratic state.
[edit] Mahdist Rule: The Mahdiya
Main article: History of Sudan (1884-1898)
The Mahdiyah (Mahdist regime) imposed traditional Islamic laws.
Sudan's new ruler also authorized the burning of lists of pedigrees
and books of law and theology because of their association with
the old order and because he believed that the former accentuated
tribalism at the expense of religious unity.
The Mahdiyah has become known as the first genuine Sudanese nationalist
government. The Mahdi maintained that his movement was not a religious
order that could be accepted or rejected at will, but that it was
a universal regime, which challenged man to join or to be destroyed.
Originally, the Mahdiyah was a jihad state, run like a military
camp. Sharia courts enforced Islamic law and the Mahdi's precepts,
which had the force of law. Six months after the fall of Khartoum,
the Mahdi died of typhus, and after a power struggle amongst his
deputies, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, with the help primarily of the
Baqqara Arabs of western Sudan, overcame the opposition of the others
and emerged as unchallenged leader of the Mahdiyah. After consolidating
his power, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad assumed the title of Khalifa (successor)
of the Mahdi, instituted an administration, and appointed Ansar
(who were usually Baqqara) as emirs over each of the several provinces.
Regional relations remained tense throughout much of the Mahdiyah
period, largely because of the Khalifa's commitment to using the
jihad to extend his version of Islam throughout the world. In 1887,
a 60,000-man Ansar army invaded Ethiopia, penetrating as far as
Gondar. In March 1889, king Yohannes IV of Ethiopia, marched on
Metemma; however, after Yohannes fell in battle, the Ethiopian forces
withdrew. Abd ar Rahman an Nujumi, the Khalifa's best general, invaded
Egypt in 1889, but British-led Egyptian troops defeated the Ansar
at Tushkah. The failure of the Egyptian invasion broke the spell
of the Ansar's invincibility. The Belgians prevented the Mahdi's
men from conquering Equatoria, and in 1893, the Italians repulsed
an Ansar attack at Akordat (in Eritrea) and forced the Ansar to
withdraw from Ethiopia.
[edit] Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 1899-1956
Main article: History of the Anglo-Egyptian condominium
In the 1890s, the British sought to re-establish their control over
Sudan, once more officially in the name of the Egyptian Khedive,
but in actuality treating the country as British imperial territory.
By the early 1890s, British, French, and Belgian claims had converged
at the Nile headwaters. Britain feared that the other imperial powers
would take advantage of Sudan's instability to acquire territory
previously annexed to Egypt. Apart from these political considerations,
Britain wanted to establish control over the Nile to safeguard a
planned irrigation dam at Aswan.
"The War in the Soudan." A propaganda posterLord Kitchener
led military campaigns from 1896 to 1898. Kitchener's campaigns
culminated in the Battle of Omdurman. Following defeat of the Mahdists
at Omdurman, an agreement was reached in 1899 establishing Anglo-Egyptian
rule, under which Sudan was run by a governor-general appointed
by Egypt with British consent. In reality, much to the revulsion
of Egyptian and Sudanese nationalists, Sudan was effectively administered
as a British colony. The British were keen to reverse the process,
started under Muhammad Ali Pasha, of uniting the Nile Valley under
Egyptian leadership, and sought to frustrate all efforts aimed at
further uniting the two countries.
During World War II, Sudan was directly involved militarily in
the East African Campaign. Formed in 1925, the Sudan Defence Force
(SDF) played an active part in responding to the early incursions
into the Sudan from Italian East Africa during 1940. In 1941, the
SDF also played a part in the invasion of the Italian colony by
British and Commonwealth forces.
From 1924 until independence in 1956, the British had a policy
of running Sudan as two essentially separate territories, the north
and south. The last British Governor-General was Sir Robert Howe.
Howe was Governor-General from 1947 to 1955.
[edit] Independence January 1, 1956
The continued British occupation of Sudan fueled an increasingly
strident nationalist backlash in Egypt, with Egyptian nationalist
leaders determined to force Britain to recognise a single independent
union of Egypt and Sudan. With the formal end of Ottoman rule in
1914, Husayn Kamil was declared Sultan of Egypt and Sudan, as was
his brother Fuad I who succeeded him. The insistence of a single
Egyptian-Sudanese state persisted when the Sultanate was re-titled
the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan, but the British continued to frustrate
these efforts.
The first real independence attempt was made in 1924 by a group
of Sudanese military officers known as The White Flag Association.
The group was led by first lieutenant Ali Abdullatif and first lieutenant
Abdul Fadil Almaz. The latter led an insurrection of the military
training academy, which ended in their defeat and the death of Almaz
after the British army blew up the military hospital where he was
garrisoned. This defeat was (allegedly) partially the result of
the Egyptian garrison in Khartoum North not supporting the insurrection
with artillery as was previously promised.
Even when the British ended their occupation of Egypt in 1936 (with
the exception of the Suez Canal Zone), Sudan remained under British
occupation. The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 finally heralded the
beginning of the march towards Sudanese independence. Having abolished
the monarchy in 1953, Egypt's new leaders, Muhammad Naguib, whose
mother was Sudanese, and Gamal Abdel-Nasser, believed the only way
to end British domination in Sudan was for Egypt to officially abandon
its sovereignty over Sudan. Since Britain's own claim to sovereignty
in Sudan theoretically depended upon Egyptian sovereignty, the revolutionaries
calculated that this tactic would leave Britain with no option but
to withdraw. Their calculation proved to be correct, and in 1954
the governments of Egypt and Britain signed a treaty guaranteeing
Sudanese independence on January 1, 1956.
Afterwards, the newly elected Sudanese government led by the first
prime minister Ismael Al-Azhari, went ahead with the process of
Sudanisation of the state's government, with the help and supervision
of an international committee. Independence was duly granted and
on January 1, 1956, in a special ceremony held at the People's Palace
where the Egyptian and British flags were lowered and the new Sudanese
flag, composed of green, blue and yellow stripes, was raised in
their place.[3]
[edit] First Sudanese Civil War 1955 - 1972
Main article: First Sudanese Civil War
In 1955, the year before independence, a civil war began between
northern and southern Sudan. The southerners, anticipating independence,
feared the new nation would be dominated by the north.
Historically, the north of Sudan had closer ties with Egypt and
was predominantly Arab and Muslim while the south was predominantly
a mixture of Christianity and Animism. These divisions had been
further emphasized by the British policy of ruling the north and
south under separate administrations. From 1924, it was illegal
for people living above the 10th parallel to go further south and
for people below the 8th parallel to go further north. The law was
ostensibly enacted to prevent the spread of malaria and other tropical
diseases that had ravaged British troops, as well as to facilitate
spreading Christianity among the predominantly Animist population
while stopping the Arabic and Islamic influence from advancing south.
The result was increased isolation between the already distinct
north and south and arguably laid the seeds of conflict in the years
to come.
The resulting conflict, known as the First Sudanese Civil War,
lasted from 1955 to 1972. In 1972, a cessation of the north-south
conflict was agreed upon under the terms of the Addis Ababa Agreement,
following talks which were sponsored by the World Council of Churches.
This led to a ten-year hiatus in the national conflict.
[edit] Second Sudanese Civil War 1983 - 2005
Main article: Second Sudanese Civil War
In 1983, the civil war was reignited following President Gaafar
Nimeiri's decision to circumvent the Addis Ababa Agreement. President
Gaafar Nimeiry attempted to create a federated Sudan including states
in southern Sudan, which violated the Addis Ababa Agreement that
had granted the south considerable autonomy.
[edit] Southern Sudan
The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), based in southern Sudan
and opposing the Islamic government in the north, formed in May
1983. Finally, in June 1983, the Sudanese government under President
Gaafar Nimeiry abrogated the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement (A.A.A.)[2].
The situation was exacerbated after President Gaafar Nimeiry went
on to implement Sharia Law in September of the same year [3].
The war continued even after Numeiri was ousted and a democratic
government was elected with Al Sadig Al Mahdi's Umma Party having
the majority in the parliament. The leader of the SPLA John Garang
refused to recognize the government and to negotiate with it as
representative of Sudan but agreed to negotiate with government
officials as representative of their political parties.
In 1989, a bloodless coup brought control of Khartoum into the
hands of Omar al-Bashir and the National Islamic Front headed by
Dr. Hassan al-Turabi. The new government was of Islamic orientation
and later it formed the Popular Defence Forces (al Difaa al Shaabi)
and began to use religious propaganda to recruit people, as the
regular army was demoralised and under pressure from the SPLA rebels.
This worsened the situation in the tribal south, as the fighting
became more intense, causing casualties among the Christian and
animist minority.
The SPLA started as a Marxist movement, with support from the Soviet
Union and the Ethiopian Marxist President Mengistu Haile Meriem.
In time, however, it sought support in the West by using the northern
Sudanese government's religious propaganda to portray the war as
a campaign by the Arab Islamic government to impose Islam and the
Arabic language on the Christian south.
The war went on for more than 20 years, including the use of Russian-made
combat helicopters and military cargo planes which were used as
bombers to devastating effect on villages and tribal rebels alike.
"Sudan's independent history has been dominated by chronic,
exceptionally cruel warfare that has starkly divided the country
on racial, religious, and regional grounds; displaced an estimated
four million people (of a total estimated population of thirty-two
million); and killed an estimated two million people."[4] It
damaged Sudan's economy and led to food shortages, resulting in
starvation and malnutrition. The lack of investment during this
time, particularly in the south, meant a generation lost access
to basic health services, education, and jobs.
It is important to distinguish the Sudanese Arab from other Arabs
of the Middle East. Sudanese Arabs are descended primarily from
the ancient Nubians. In terms of racial origin, it is not clear
what specific racial or ethnic group the Nubians originated from.
Over a period of centuries, Arab immigration into the Sudan, intermarriage
among Nubians and Arabs, and the introduction of Islam and the Arabic
language, Arabised the Nubians into the Sudanese Arab of today.
In appearance, the Nubians are similar to some Ethiopians and Eritreans;
at one point, they shared a common history with the latter (See
ancient Kush, and Axum). The Sudanese Arabs are further divided
into many different tribes of Nubian or Arab origin, and some Sudanese
speak a Nubian language as a mother tongue, and Arabic as a second
language. This process of Arabisation was repeated throughout North
Africa and the Middle East, i.e., in Libya, where the indigenous
Berbers and conquering Arabs merged to form the modern Libyan Arab,
as distinguished from the Persians of Iran, who accepted Islam,
but rejected Arabic, and an Arab identity.
Peace talks between the southern rebels and the government made
substantial progress in 2003 and early 2004. The peace was consolidated
with the official signing by both sides of the Nairobi Comprehensive
Peace Agreement 9 January 2005, granting southern Sudan autonomy
for six years, to be followed by a referendum about independence.
It created a co-vice president position and allowed the north and
south to split oil deposits equally, but also left both the north's
and south's armies in place. John Garang, the south's peace agreement
appointed co-vice president died in a helicopter crash on August
1, 2005, three weeks after being sworn in. This resulted in riots,
but the peace was eventually able to continue.
The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) was established under
UN Security Council Resolution 1590 of March 24, 2005. Its mandate
is to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,
and to perform functions relating to humanitarian assistance, and
protection and promotion of human rights.
In October 2007 the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation
Movement (SPLM) withdrew from government in protest over slow implementation
of a landmark 2005 peace deal which ended the civil war. Observers
say the biggest obstacle to reconciliation is the unresolved status
of the oil-rich region of Abyei, which is on the north-south border.
Few weeks afterwards, leading Islamist opposition party leader Hassan
al-Turabi affirmed that South Sudan could unilaterally split from
the north because of a dispute over the region of Abyei.[5]
[edit] Darfur conflict 2003 - Present
Map of Northeast Africa highlighting the Darfur region of Sudan.Main
article: Darfur conflict
Just as the long north-south civil war was reaching a resolution,
some tribal clashes occurred in the western region of Darfur in
the early 1970s between the pastoral tribes and the agricultural
tribes after Africa's greatest famine. The rebels accused the central
government of neglecting the Darfur region economically, although
there is uncertainty regarding the objectives of the rebels and
whether they merely seek an improved position for Darfur within
Sudan or outright "secession." Both the government and
the rebels have been accused of atrocities in this war, although
most of the blame has fallen on Arab militias known as the Janjaweed,
who are armed men appointed by the Al Saddiq Al Mahdi administration
to stop the long standing chaotic disputes between Darfur tribes.
According to declarations by numerous world governments, these militias
have been engaging in genocide; the fighting has displaced hundreds
of thousands of people, many of them seeking refuge in neighbouring
Chad. The government claimed victory over the rebels after capturing
a town on the border with Chad in early 1994. However, the fighting
resumed in 2003.
On September 9, 2004, the United States Secretary of State Colin
Powell termed the Darfur conflict a "genocide", claiming
it as the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.[6] There
have been reports that the Janjaweed have been launching raids,
bombings, and attacks on villages, killing civilians based on ethnicity,
raping women, stealing land, goods, and herds of livestock.[7] So
far, over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced and the death
toll is variously estimated at 200,000[8] to 400,000 killed.[9]
On May 5, 2006, the Sudanese government and Darfur's largest rebel
group the SLM (Sudan Liberation Movement) signed the Darfur Peace
Agreement, which aimed at ending the three-year long conflict.[10]
The agreement specified the disarmament of the Janjaweed and the
disbandment of the rebel forces, and aimed at establishing a temporal
government in which the rebels could take part.[11] The agreement,
which was brokered by the African Union, however, was not signed
by all of the rebel groups.[12]
Since the agreement was signed, however, there have been reports
of wide-spread violence throughout the region. A new rebel group
has emerged called the "National Redemption Front" (which
is made up of the 4 main rebel groups who refused to sign the May
peace agreement).[13] Recently, both the Sudanese government and
government-sponsored Muslim militias have launched large offensives
against the rebel groups, resulting in more deaths and more displacements.
Clashes among the rebel groups have also contributed to the violence.[14]
Recent fighting along the Chad border has left hundreds of soldiers
and rebel forces dead and nearly a quarter of a million refugees
cut from aid.[15] In addition, villages have been bombed and more
civilians have been killed. UNICEF recently reported that around
80 infants die each day in Darfur as a result of malnutrition.
The people in Darfur are predominantly black Africans of Muslim
beliefs, whereas the Janjaweed militia is made up of Arabs.
The International Criminal Court has indicted State Minister for
Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun and alleged Muslim Janjaweed militia
leader Ali Mohammed Ali Mohammed Ali aka Ali Kosheib, in relation
to the atrocities in the region.
Ahmed Haroun belongs to the Bargou tribe one of the non Arab tribes
of Darfur and is alleged to have incited attacks on specific (non
Arab) ethnic groups.
Ali Kosheib is an ex soldier and a leader of the popular defence
forces and is alleged to be one of the key leaders responsible for
attacks on villages in west Darfur.
[edit] Chad-Sudan conflict
Main article: Chad-Sudan conflict
The Chad-Sudan conflict officially started on December 23, 2005,
when the government of Chad declared a state of war with Sudan and
called for the citizens of Chad to mobilize themselves against the
"common enemy"[16], which the Chadian government sees
as the Rally for Democracy and Liberty (RDL) militants, Chadian
rebels backed by the Sudanese government, and Sudanese militiamen.
The militants attacked villages and towns in eastern Chad, stealing
cattle, murdering citizens, and burning houses. Over 200,000 refugees
from the Darfur region of northwestern Sudan currently claim asylum
in eastern Chad. Chadian president Idriss Déby accuses Sudanese
President Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir of trying to "destabilize
our country, to drive our people into misery, to create disorder
and export the war from Darfur to Chad."
The incident prompting the declaration of war was an attack on
the Chadian town of Adré near the Sudanese border that led
to the deaths of either one hundred rebels (as most news sources
reported) or three hundred rebels. The Sudanese government was blamed
for the attack, which was the second in the region in three days[17],
but Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman Jamal Mohammed Ibrahim denied
any Sudanese involvement, "We are not for any escalation with
Chad. We technically deny involvement in Chadian internal affairs."
The Adre attack led to the declaration of war by Chad and the alleged
deployment of the Chadian air force into Sudanese airspace, which
the Chadian government denies[18].
The leaders of Sudan and Chad signed an agreement in Saudi Arabia
on May 3, 2007 to stop fighting from the Darfur conflict along their
countries' 1,000-kilometre (600 mi) border[19].
[edit] Eastern Front
Main article: Eastern Front (Sudan)
The Eastern Front is a coalition of rebel groups operating in eastern
Sudan along the border with Eritrea, particularly the states of
Red Sea and Kassala. The Eastern Front's Chairman is Musa Mohamed
Ahmed. While the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) was the primary
member of the Eastern Front, the SPLA was obliged to leave by the
January 2005 agreement that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.
Their place was taken in February 2004 after the merger of the larger
Beja Congress with the smaller Rashaida Free Lions, two tribal based
groups of the Beja and Rashaida people, respectively. [20] The Justice
and Equality Movement (JEM), a rebel group from Darfur in the west,
then joined.
Both the Free Lions and the Beja Congress stated that government
inequity in the distribution of oil profits was the cause of their
rebellion. They demanded to have a greater say in the composition
of the national government, which has been seen as a destabilizing
influence on the agreement ending the conflict in Southern Sudan.
The Eastern Front had threatened to block the flow of crude oil,
which travels from the oil fields of the south-central regions to
outside markets through Port Sudan. A government plan to build a
second oil refinery near Port Sudan was also threatened. The government
was reported to have three times as many soldiers in the east to
suppress the rebellion and protect vital infrastructure as in the
more widely reported Darfur region.
The Eritrean government in mid-2006 dramatically changed their
position on the conflict. From being the main supporter of the Eastern
Front they decided that bringing the Sudanese government around
the negotiating table for a possible agreement with the rebels would
be in their best interests. They were successful in their attempts
and on the 19 June 2006, the two sides signed an agreement on declaration
of principles.[21] This was the start of four months of Eritrean-mediated
negotiations for a comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudanese
government and the Eastern Front, which culminated in signing of
a peace agreement on 14 October 2006, in Asmara. The agreement covers
security issues, power sharing at a federal and regional level,
and wealth sharing in regards to the three Eastern states Kassala,
Red Sea and Al Qadarif.
[edit] Humanitarian needs and 2007 floods
The humanitarian branch of the United Nations, consisting of several
UN agencies coordinated by OCHA, works to bring life-saving relief
to those in need. It is estimated by OCHA, that over 3.5 million
people in Darfur (including 2.2 million IDPs) are heavily reliant
on humanitarian aid for their survival.[22] By contrast, in 2007
OCHA, under the leadership of Eliane Duthoit, started to gradually
phase out in Southern Sudan, where humanitarian needs are gradually
diminishing, and are slowly but markedly leaving the place to recovery
and development activities.[23]
In July 2007, many parts of the country were devastated by flooding,
prompting an immediate humanitarian response by the United Nations
and partners, under the leadership of acting United Nations Resident
Coordinators David Gressly and Oluseyi Bajulaiye.[24] Over 400,000
people were directly affected, with over 3.5 million at risk of
epidemics.[25] The United Nations have allocated US$ 13.5 million
for the response from its pooled funds, but will launch an appeal
to the international community to cover the gap.[26]
[edit] Politics
Map of Sudan showing Khartoum.Main article: Politics of Sudan
Sudan has an authoritarian government in which all effective political
power is in the hands of President Omar al-Bashir. Bashir and his
party have controlled the government since he led the military coup
on 30 June 1989.
From 1983 to 1997, the country was divided into five regions in
the north and three in the south, each headed by a military governor.
After the military coup on April 6, 1985, regional assemblies were
suspended. The RCC was abolished in 1993, and the ruling National
Islamic Front changed its name to the National Congress Party. The
new party included some non Muslim members; mainly Southern Sudanese
Politicians, some of whom were appointed as ministers or state governors.
After 1997, the structure of regional administration was replaced
by the creation of twenty-six states. The executives, cabinets,
and senior-level state officials are appointed by the president,
and their limited budgets are determined by and dispensed from Khartoum.
The states, as a result, remain economically dependent upon the
central government. Khartoum state, comprising the capital and outlying
districts, is administered by a governor.
In December 1999, a power struggle climaxed between President al-Bashir
and then-speaker of parliament Hassan al-Turabi, who was the NIF
founder and an Islamic ideologue. Al-Turabi was stripped of his
posts in the ruling party and the government, parliament was disbanded,
the constitution was suspended, and a state of national emergency
was declared by presidential decree. Parliament resumed in February
2001 after the December 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections,
but the national emergency laws remained in effect. Al-Turabi was
arrested in February 2001, and charged with being a threat to national
security and the constitutional order for signing a memorandum of
understanding with the SPLA. Since then his outspoken style has
had him in prison or under house-arrest, his most recent stint beginning
in March 2004 and ending in June 2005. During that time he was under
house-arrest for his role in a failed coup attempt in September
2003, an allegation he has denied. According to some reports, the
president had no choice but to release him, given that a coalition
of National Democratic Union (NDA) members headquartered in both
Cairo and Eritrea, composed of the political parties known as the
SPLM/A, Umma Party, Mirghani Party, and Turabi's own National People's
Congress, were calling for his release at a time when an interim
government was preparing to take over in accordance with the Naivasha
agreement and the Machokos Accord.
See also: List of Presidents of Sudan
[edit] Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Sudan
Sudan has had a troubled relationship with many of its neighbors
and much of the international community due to what is viewed as
its aggressively Islamic stance. For much of the 1990s, Uganda,
Kenya and Ethiopia formed an ad-hoc alliance called the "Front
Line States" with support from the United States to check the
influence of the National Islamic Front government. The Sudanese
Government supported anti-Uganda rebel groups such as the Lord's
Resistance Army. Beginning from the mid-1990s Sudan gradually began
to moderate its positions as a result of increased US pressure following
the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings and the new development of oil fields
previously in rebel hands. Sudan also has a territorial dispute
with Egypt over the Hala'ib Triangle. Since 2003, the foreign relations
of Sudan have centered on the support for ending the Second Sudanese
Civil War and condemnation of government support for militias in
the Darfur conflict.
U.S. firms have been barred from doing business in Sudan since
1997.[4] The United States has listed Sudan as a state sponsor of
terrorism since 1993. [5]
On December 23, 2005, Chad, Sudan's neighbour to the west, declared
war on Sudan and accused the country of being the "common enemy
of the nation [Chad]." This happened after the December 18
attack on Adre, which left about 100 people dead. A statement issued
by Chadian government on December 23, accused Sudanese militias
of making daily incursions into Chad, stealing cattle, killing people
and burning villages on the Chadian border. The statement went on
to call for Chadians to form a patriotic front against Sudan.[6]
The Organization of the Islamic Conference(OIC) have called on Sudan
and Chad to exercise self-restraint to defuse growing tensions between
the two countries.[7]
On December 27, 2005, Sudan became one of the few states to recognize
Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. [8]
On June 20, 2006 President Omar al-Bashir told reporters that he
would not allow any UN peacekeeping force into Sudan. President
al-Bashir denounced any such mission as "colonial forces."
[9]
On November 17, 2006, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced
that "Sudan has agreed in principle to allow the establishment
of a joint African Union and UN peacekeeping force in an effort
to solve the crisis in Darfur" - but had stopped short of setting
the number of troops involved. Annan speculated that this force
could number 17,000.[27] Despite this claim, no additional troops
have been deployed as of late December 2006. Violence continues
in the region and on December 15, 2006, prosecutors at the International
Criminal Court (ICC) stated they would be proceeding with cases
of human rights violations against members of the Sudan government.[28]
A Sudanese legislator was quoted as saying that Khartoum may permit
UN peace keepers to patrol Darfur in exchange for immunity from
prosecution for officials charged with war crimes and crimes against
humanity.
[edit] Legal system
The legal system in Sudan is based on English common law and Islamic
law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command
Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law
applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their
religion; however, the CPA establishes some protections for non-Muslims
in Khartoum; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; the southern legal system is
still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Islamic
law will not apply to the southern states.
The judicial branch of the government consist of: Constitutional
Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court; National Courts
of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial Service Commission
will undertake overall management of the National Judiciary [29].
[edit] Human rights
Main article: Human rights in Sudan
A letter dated August 14, 2006, from the Executive Director of Human
Rights Watch found that the Sudanese government is both incapable
and unwilling to protect its own citizens in Darfur and that its
militias are guilty of crimes against humanity. The letter added
that these human rights abuses have existed since 2004.[30]
Some reports attribute part of the violations to the rebels as
well as the government and the Janjaweed. The US State Department's
human rights report issued in March 2007 claims that "All parties
to the conflagration committed serious abuses, including widespread
killing of civilians, rape as a tool of war, systematic torture,
robbery and recruitment of child soldiers"[31]
Both government forces and militias allied with the government
are known not only to attack civilians in Darfur, but also humanitarian
workers. Sympathizers of rebel groups are arbitrarily detained,
as are foreign journalists, human rights defenders, student activists,
and displaced people in and around Khartoum, some of whom face torture.
The rebel groups have also been accused in a report issued by the
American government of attacking humanitarian workers and of killing
innocent civilians. Amnesty International report
[edit] States and districts
Political map of Sudan.Main articles: States of Sudan and Districts
of Sudan
Sudan is divided into twenty-six states (wilayat, sing. wilayah)
which in turn are subdivided into 133 districts. The states are:
Al Jazirah
Al Qadarif
Blue Nile
Central Equatoria
East Equatoria
Junqali
Kassala
Khartoum
Lakes
North Bahr al Ghazal
North Darfur
North Kurdufan
Northern
Red Sea
River Nile
Sennar
South Darfur
South Kurdufan
Unity
Upper Nile
Warab
West Bahr al Ghazal
West Darfur
West Equatoria
West Kurdufan
White Nile
[edit] Autonomy, separation, conflicts
North Sudan
Darfur
Eastern Front, area of operations July 2006
South Sudan
Boundary of Abyei at 10°22'30"N as decided by the Abyei
Boundary Commission
Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile
Abyei, is to hold a referendum in 2011 on whether to join South
Sudan or not.Southern Sudan is an autonomous region intermediate
between the states and the national government. Southern Sudan is
scheduled to have a referendum on independence in 2011.[32] As agreed
in the peace agreement a new currency, the Sudan Pound was launched
throughout the country on January 10, 2007, and will replace the
Sudanese Dinar. The Southern Sudanese government tried to launch
a new currency, but stopped after the central Sudanese government
declared that such a move constituted a breach of the peace agreement.
Darfur, a region of three western states, is plagued by a violent
conflict between the Sudanese government and a group of rebelling
peoples of the region. (see Darfur conflict, Transitional Darfur
Regional Authority).
There was also an insurgency in the east led by the Eastern Front.
On October 14, 2006, both the Sudanese government and the Eastern
Front signed a power-sharing agreement ending the insurgency.
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of Sudan
Sudan is situated in northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea and
it has a coastline of 853 km along the Red Sea.[33] With an area
of 2,505,810 square kilometres (967,499 sq mi), it is the largest
country in the continent and tenth largest in the world. It borders
the countries of Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya and Uganda.
It is dominated by the River Nile and its tributaries.
The terrain is generally flat plains, broken by several mountain
ranges; in the west the Jebel Marra is the highest range; in the
south is the highest mountain Mount Kinyeti Imatong, near the border
with Uganda; in the east are the Red Sea Hills.[34]
The Blue and White Niles meet in Khartoum to form the River Nile,
which flows northwards through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. Blue
Nile's course through Sudan is nearly 800 km long and is joined
by the rivers Dinder and Rahad between Sennar and Khartoum. The
White Nile within Sudan has no significant tributaries.
The amount of rainfall increases towards the south. In the north
there is the very dry Nubian Desert; in the south there are swamps
and rain forest. Sudan’s rainy season lasts for about three
months (July to September) in the north, and up to six months (June
to November) in the south. The dry regions are plagued by sand storms,
known as haboob, which can completely block out the sun. In the
northern and western semi-desert areas, people rely on the scant
rainfall for basic agriculture and many are nomadic, traveling with
their herds of sheep and camels. Nearer the River Nile, there are
well-irrigated farms growing cash crops.[35]
There are several dams on the Blue and White Niles. Among them
are the Sennar and Roseires on the Blue Nile, and Jebel Aulia dam
on the White Nile. There is also Lake Nubia on the Sudan-Egyptian
border.
Rich mineral resources are available in Sudan including: petroleum,
natural gas, gold, silver, chromite, asbestos, manganese, gypsum,
mica, zinc, iron, lead, uranium, copper, kaolin, cobalt, granite,
nickel and tin.[36]
Desertification is a serious problem in Sudan.[37] There is also
concern over soil erosion. Agricultural expansion, both public and
private, has proceeded without conservation measures. The consequences
have manifested themselves in the form of deforestation, soil desiccation,
and the lowering of soil fertility and the water table.[38]
The nation's wildlife is threatened by hunting. As of 2001, twenty-one
mammal species and nine bird species are endangered, as well as
two types of plants. Endangered species include: the waldrapp, northern
white rhinoceros, tora hartebeest, slender-horned gazelle, and hawksbill
turtle. The Sahara oryx has become extinct in the wild.[39]
In May 2007, it was announced that hundreds of wild elephants have
been located on a previously unknown, treeless island in the Sudd
swampland region of southern Sudan. The exact location being kept
secret to protect the animals from poachers.[40]
Mount Dair in central Sudan
A swamp in southern Sudan
Sudan satellite image
See also: List of cities in Sudan
[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Sudan
Despite new economic policies and infrastructure investments, Sudan
still faces formidable economic problems as it must rise from a
very low level of per capita output. Since 1997, Sudan has been
implementing the macroeconomic reforms recommended by the IMF. In
1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of
1999 recorded its first trade surplus. Increased oil production
(the current production is about 520,000 barrels per day) revived
light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain
GDP growth at 6.1% in 2003. These gains, along with improvements
to monetary policy, have stabilized the exchange rate. Currently
oil is Sudan's main export, and the production is increasing dramatically.
With rising oil revenues the Sudanese economy is booming at a growth
rate of nearly 7% in 2005.
Rich mineral resources are available in Sudan including: petroleum,
natural gas, gold, silver, chrome, asbestos, manganese, gypsum,
mica, zinc, iron, lead, uranium, copper, kaolin, cobalt, granite,
nickel and tin. [24]
Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing
80% of the work force and contributing 39% of GDP, but most farms
remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability
— including the long-standing civil war between the Muslim
north and the Christian/animist south, adverse weather, and weak
world agricultural prices — ensure that much of the population
will remain at or below the poverty line for years.
See also: Communications in Sudan and Transport in Sudan
The Merowe High Dam, also known as Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project
or Hamdab Dam, is a large construction project in northern Sudan,
about 350 km north of the capital Khartoum. It is situated on the
river Nile, close to the 4th Cataract where the river divides into
multiple smaller branches with large islands in between. Merowe
is a city about 40 km downstream from the construction site at Hamdab.
The main purpose of the dam will be the generation of electricity.
Its dimensions make it the largest contemporary hydro power project
in Africa. The construction of the dam will be finished by mid 2008,
supplying more than 90% of the population with electricity. Other
gas powered electricity stations are under construction in Khartoum
state, these are also due to be completed by 2008.
Despite the American sanctions, the Sudanese economy is the one
of the fastest growing in the world according to a New York Times
report of October 2006.[41]
[edit] Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Sudan
In Sudan's 1993 census, the population was recorded to be 25 million.
No comprehensive census has been carried out since then due to the
continuation of the civil war. A 2006 United Nations estimate put
the population at about 37 million. The population of metropolitan
Khartoum (including Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North) is growing
rapidly and is estimated at about 5 to 7 million, including around
2 million displaced persons from the southern war zone as well as
western and eastern drought-affected areas.
Sudan has 597 tribes that speak over 400 different languages dialects,
[42] but there are two distinct major cultures – Arabs with
Nubian roots and non-Arab Africans – consisting of hundreds
of ethnic and tribal divisions and language groups. The northern
states cover most of Sudan and include most of the urban centers.
Most of the 22 million Sudanese who live in this region are Arabic-speaking
Muslims, though the majority also use a traditional non-Arabic mother
tongue (e.g. Nubian, Beja, Fur, Nuban, Ingessana, etc) as education
is in Arabic language. Among these are several distinct tribal groups:
the camel-raising Kababish of northern Kordofan; the Dongolawiyin
(???????????); the Ga’aliyin (???????); the Rubatab (????????);
the Manasir (????????); the Shaiqiyah (?????????); the Bideiria
; the semi-nomadic Baggara of Kurdufan and Darfur; the Beja in the
Red Sea area and who extend into Eritrea; and the Nubians of the
northern Nile areas, some of whom have been resettled on the Atbara
River. Shokrya in the Butana land, Bataheen bordering the Ga’alin
and Shokrya in the south west of Butana. Rufaa, Halaween, Fulani
(??????) and many other tribes have settled in the Gazeera region
and on the banks of the Blue Nile, Damazine and the Dindir region.
The Nuba of southern Kurdufan and Fur in the western reaches of
the country.
Henna painting hands and Jabana (coffee can)The southern region
has a population of around 6 million and a predominantly rural,
subsistence economy. This region has been affected by war for all
but 10 years since independence in 1956, resulting in serious neglect,
lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement.
More than 2 million people have died, and more than 4 million are
internally displaced or have become refugees as a result of the
civil war and war-related impacts. Here a majority of the population
practices traditional indigenous beliefs, although some practice
Christianity, a result of Christian missionary efforts. The south
also contains many tribal groups and many more languages are used
than in the north. The Dinka, whose population is estimated at more
than 1 million, are the largest of the many black African tribes
of Sudan. Along with the Shilluk and the Nuer they are Nilotic tribes.
The Azande, Bor, and Jo Luo are “Sudanic” tribes in
the west, and the Acholi and Lotuhu live in the extreme south, extending
into Uganda.
The linga franca in Southern Sudan is a variant of Arabic called
"Juba Arabic"; the English language is used by the educated
elite. Some western African tribes like the Fallata also known as
Fulani and Hausa have migrated to Sudan long times ago and have
settled in various regions of Sudan, mainly in the north, and most
of them speak Arabic as well as their original languages.
[edit] Peoples of Sudan
Halaween Tribe
Ja'alin
Hasania
Arakeien
Bataheen
Abddallab
Shaigiya
Rubatab
Shokrya
Ababda
Azande
Baggara peoples
Beja tribe
Dinka tribe
Luo tribe
Fulbe (Fulani)
Fur people
Hausa
Halfaween
Horefaen
Mahas
Manasir
Masalit
Nuba peoples
Nuer tribe
Rashaida people
Zande
Zaghawa
Hamar Tribes
People Location
Acholi east
Pari east
Anuak south central
The Bari Juba
Didinga east
Fula (Fulani) Blue Nile, East and Tulus
Kakwa southwest
Lotuko east
Madi
Shilluk
Toposa
[edit] Official languages
See also: Languages of Sudan
According to the 2005 constitution, Sudan's official languages are
Arabic and English:[43]
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