Research Library: Sudan

Last Updated Feb 16, 2009

Country Information

Government

• Sudan has a provisional government and is attempting to transition away from a military dictatorship. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement established the provisional government in January 2005 and also established the Interim National Constitution. The agreement mandates that national elections must be held by July 2009. The National Legislature is made up of the National Assembly, which has 450 members and a power-sharing formula, and the Council of States, which is made up of two appointed representatives from each of the nation's 26 states. A governor is appointed to each state by the president.
• Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir is the President and Prime Minister. He has been in power since 1989, when he and the National Islamic Front party a successful coup. The National Congress Party won 355 seats during the 2000 elections however the Comprehensive Peace Agreement mandated they be replaced by appointments.

Political Stability

• Sudan has suffered from military coups, riots and strikes, and a 22-year-long civil war between the Muslim Arab north and the non-Muslim Africans in the south, all of which have led to instability and continuous violence. While the civil war ended with the 2005 peace agreement, the Darfur region has continued to suffer from genocide since around 2003. The Janjaweed, Arabized black African Muslims bearing arms provided by the government, are responsible for these killings of civilians.
• Since the genocide started, over 2 million people have been displaced and tens of thousands killed. The African Union and the UN Security Council (UNSC) have deployed troops to the region. The UNSC established UN Mission in Sudan in 2005, but the Sudanese government continues to fail in complying with UN Resolutions. The Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in May 2006, but the fighting has continued. UN African Mission in Darfur was established by the UN in July 2007 and will come to be the largest UN peacekeeping force ever deployed. The lack of government cooperation has greatly hindered much needed humanitarian aid.

Current Government Policies

• Due to the civil war, famine and disease, more than 2 million people died and roughly 4 million others were displaced creating the world's largest population of internally displaced people. The UN estimates that nearly 2 million displaced people have returned to Southern Sudan since 2005, but the Darfur conflict continues in full force. Sudan is seeking to expand its capacity of electricity generation and petroleum resources.

International Reputation

• Sudan has long had solidarity with other Arab states, but relations with Libya have been very tense in the past. By the late 1990s, Sudan¿s support of regional insurgency strained relations with the US and Sudan broke diplomatic relations with many of its neighbors. Sudan has more recently courted Western aid and is working with the US to fight global terrorism. Sudan has also sought to reestablish regional relations.

Economics

• Agriculture is Sudan¿s main industry, employing about 80% of the working population but since October 2000, oil production and export has dominated the economy. Up until 2008, Sudan¿s economy was booming due to oil exports and foreign investment. Sudan worked with the IMF and the World, attempting to implement economic reforms, however the relationships failed. Sudan became the largest debtor for both organizations by 1993 with a global debt of $21 billion.
• The majority of Sudan¿s population remains below the poverty line due to poor infrastructure, the reliance on subsistence agriculture and the violent civil war and genocide. Inadequate infrastructure and the small industrial sector will continue to limit growth unless reforms are implemented.

Foreign Aid

• Sudan is a net recipient of official development assistance. For more information see the OECD Aid at a Glance chart.

Politically-Active Ethnic Groups
Data provided by the Minorities at Risk Project of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland

• Darfur Black Muslims
• Nuba
• Southerners

Statistics
Click on statistic name for source information.

Web Resources

• Embassy of Sudan in Washington DC
  Contains news, country background information, and official press releases.
  Added or modified on Feb 17, 2005
• Human Rights Watch: Sudan
  Ongoing Crimes Call for ICC Referral and Greater International Protection.
  Added or modified on Mar 15, 2005
• Integrated Regional Information Networks: Sudan
  Sponsored by the UN and provides updated news about the humanitarian crisis.
  Added or modified on Feb 16, 2009
• Sudan Invest
  The Investment Authority is responsible for setting up advertising and publicity campaigns for investment in Sudan.
  Added or modified on Feb 16, 2009
• Sudan Net News
  Daily news and information from Sudan.
  Added or modified on Feb 17, 2005
• The Republic of Sudan
  The official website for the country of Sudan.
  Added or modified on Feb 16, 2009
• UN World Food Program: Sudan
  UN website about the ongoing humanitarian emergency in Sudan.
  Added or modified on Feb 16, 2009