Sudan

• hot and dry;
• arid desert;
• rainy season varies by region (April to November)

• petroleum;
• small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold;
• hydropower

agricultural land:

100%;

• arable land 15.7%;
• permanent crops 0.2%;
• permanent pasture 84.2%

forest:

0%

other:

0% (2011 est.)

• with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan, which extends into the dry Sahara, is sparsely populated;
• more abundant vegetation and broader access to water increases population distribution in the south extending habitable range along nearly the entire border with South Sudan;
• sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur

• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• periodic drought

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• the Nile is Sudan's primary water source;
• its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea

noun:

Sudanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Sudanese

• with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan, which extends into the dry Sahara, is sparsely populated;
• more abundant vegetation and broader access to water increases population distribution in the south extending habitable range along nearly the entire border with South Sudan;
• sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and througout South Darfur

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.19 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and Rift Valley fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of the Sudan

conventional short form:

Sudan

local long form:

Jumhuriyat as-Sudan

local short form:

As-Sudan

former:

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

etymology:

the name "Sudan" derives from the Arabic "bilad-as-sudan" meaning "Land of the Black [peoples]"

name:

Khartoum

geographic coordinates:

15 36 N, 32 32 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

previous 1998; latest adopted 6 July 2005, effective 9 July 2005 (interim constitution)

amendments:

• proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic;
• passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least two months prior to consideration, approval by at least three-quarters majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent by the president;
• amended 2015 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Sudan

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

• President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993);
• First Vice President BAKRI Hassan Salih (since 3 December 2013) and prime minister (since 2 March 2017);
• Second Vice President Hasabu Mohamed ABDEL RAHMIN (since 3 December 2013);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993);
• First Vice President BAKRI Hassan Salih (since 3 December 2013) and prime minister (since 2 March 2017);
• Second Vice President Hasabu Mohamed ABDEL RAHMIN (since 3 December 2013)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the NCP dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed;
• last held on 13-16 April 2015 (next to be held in 2020);
• prime minister appointed by the president;
• note - the position of prime minister was reinstated in December 2016 as a result of the 2015-16 national dialogue process, and President al-BASHIR appointed BAKRI Hassan Salih to the position on 2 March 2017

election results:

Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (NCP) 94.1%, other (15 candidates) 5.9%

highest court(s):

• National Supreme Court (consists of 70 judges organized into panels of 3 judges and includes 4 circuits that operate outside the capital);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 9 justices including the court president);
• note - the Constitutional Court resides outside the national judiciary

judge selection and term of office:

• National Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the National Judicial Service Commission, an independent body chaired by the chief justice of the republic and members including other judges and judicial and legal officials;
• Supreme Court judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed for 7 years

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeal;
• other national courts;
• public courts;
• district, town, and rural courts

• Democratic Unionist Party or DUP [Jalal al-DIGAIR]
• Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI]
• Federal Umma Party [Dr. Ahmed Babikir NAHAR]
• Muslim Brotherhood or MB
• National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]
• National Umma Party or NUP [Saddiq al-MAHDI]
• Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]
• Reform Movement Now [Dr. Ghazi Salahuddin al-ATABANI]
• Sudan National Front [Ali Mahmud HASANAYN]
• Sudanese Communist Party or SCP [Mohammed Moktar Al-KHATEEB]
• Sudanese Congress Party or SCoP [Ibrahim Al-SHEIKH]
• Umma Party for Reform and Development
• Unionist Movement Party or UMP

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MAOWIA Osman Khalid Mohammed (since 31 January 2014)

chancery:

2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 338-8565

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-2406

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven KOUTSIS (since July 2016)

embassy:

Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum

mailing address:

P.O. Box 699, Kilo 10, Soba, Khartoum; APO AE 09829

telephone:

[249] (187)-0-(22000)

FAX:

[249] (183) 774-137

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side;
• colors and design based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I, but the meanings of the colors are expressed as follows: red signifies the struggle for freedom, white is the color of peace, light, and love, black represents the people of Sudan (in Arabic 'Sudan' means black), green is the color of Islam, agriculture, and prosperity

name:

"Nahnu Djundulla Djundulwatan" (We Are the Army of God and of Our Land)

lyrics/music:

Sayed Ahmad Muhammad SALIH/Ahmad MURJAN

note: adopted 1956; originally served as the anthem of the Sudanese military

agriculture:

80%

industry:

7%

services:

13% (1998 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.7%

highest 10%:

26.7% (2009 est.)

• gold;
• oil and petroleum products;
• cotton, sesame, livestock, peanuts, gum Arabic, sugar

general assessment:

• well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded;
• cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially with wide coverage of most major cities

domestic:

• consists of microwave radio relay, cable, fiber optic, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations;
• teledensity exceeeds 75 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 249;
• linked to the EASSy and FLAG fiber-optic submarine cable systems;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2016)

• the Sudanese Government directly controls TV and radio, requiring that both media reflect government policies;
• TV has a permanent military censor;
• a private radio station is in operation (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

6; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 25

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

496,178

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

13,161,592 mt-km (2015)

total:

7,251 km

narrow gauge:

5,851 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (20014)

country comparison to the world: 31

total:

11,900 km

paved:

4,320 km

unpaved:

7,580 km (2000)

country comparison to the world: 129

total:

17

by type:

general cargo 1, other 16 (2017)

country comparison to the world: 137

• 18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory or voluntary military service;
• 1-2 year service obligation;
• a requirement that completion of national service was mandatory before entering public or private sector employment has been cancelled (2012)

• the effects of Sudan's ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of the neighboring states;
• Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence;
• as of April 2017, more than 610,000 Sudanese refugees are being hosted in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan;
• Sudan, in turn, is hosting about 507,000 refugees, including more than 375,000 from South Sudan;
• Sudan accuses South Sudan of supporting Sudanese rebel groups;
• Sudan claims but Egypt de facto administers security and economic development of the Halaib region north of the 22nd parallel boundary;
• periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic;
• South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment, final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation;
• final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan

refugees (country of origin):

• 103,176 (Eritrea);
• 8,502 (Chad);
• 6,997 (Syria) (2016);
• 772,715 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2017)

IDPs:

3.3 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in Darfur region; government and rebel fighting along South Sudan border; inter-tribal clashes) (2016)

current situation:

• Sudan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• Sudanese women and girls, particularly those from rural areas or who are internally displaced, or refugees are vulnerable to domestic servitude in country, as well as domestic servitude and sex trafficking abroad;
• migrants from East and West Africa, South Sudan, Syria, and Nigeria smuggled into or through Sudan are vulnerable to exploitation;
• Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Filipina women are subjected to domestic servitude in Sudanese homes, and East African and possibly Thai women are forced into prostitution in Sudan;
• Sudanese children continue to be recruited and used as combatants by government forces and armed groups

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government increased its efforts to publically address and prevent trafficking, established a national anti-trafficking council, and began drafting a national action plan against trafficking;
• the government acknowledges cross-border trafficking but still denies the existence of forced labor, sex trafficking, and the recruitment of child soldiers domestically;
• law enforcement and judicial officials struggled to apply the national anti-trafficking law, often relying on other statutes with lesser penalties;
• authorities did not use systematic procedure to identify victims or refer them to care and relied on international organizations and domestic groups to provide protective services;
• some foreign victims were penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, such as immigration or prostitution violations (2015)