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

• 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 as shown on this population distribution map

• water pollution;
• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• water scarcity and periodic drought;
• wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• deforestation;
• loss of biodiversity

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 as shown on this population distribution map

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.12 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2020)

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 diseases:

schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases:

rabies

respiratory diseases:

meningococcal meningitis

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, Democratic Republic of the 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)

etymology:

• several explanations of the name exist;
• two of the more plausible are that it is derived from Arabic "al-jartum" meaning "elephant's trunk" or "hose," and likely referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles;
• alternatively, the name could derive from the Dinka words "khar-tuom," indicating a "place where rivers meet"

history:

• previous 1973, 1998;
• 2005 (interim constitution, which was suspended in April 2019);
• latest initial draft completed by Transitional Military Council in May 2019;
• revised draft known as the "Draft Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period," was signed by the Council and opposition coalition on 4 August 2019

amendments:

NA

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 (vacant);
• note - in August 2019, the ruling military council and civilian opposition alliance signed a power-sharing deal as the "Sovereignty Council," chaired by General Abd-al-Fatah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman and consisting of 6 civilians and 5 generals;
• the Council is currently led by the military but is intended to transition to civilian leadership in May 2021 until elections can be held;
• General BURHAN serves as both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• president (vacant);
• note - in August 2019, the ruling military council and civilian opposition alliance signed a power-sharing deal as the "Sovereignty Council," chaired by General Abd-al-Fatah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman and consisting of 6 civilians and 5 generals;
• the Council is currently led by the military but is intended to transition to civilian leadership in May 2021 until elections can be held (Abd-al-Rahman)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister (2019)

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 2022 at the end of the transitional period);
• prime minister typically 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;
• on 21 August 2019, the Forces for Freedom and Change, the civilian opposition alliance, named Abdallah HANDOUK as prime minister of Sudan for the transitional period

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%

description:

• according to the August 2019 Constitutional Decree, which established Sudan's transitional government, the Transitional Legislative Council (TLC) will serve as the national legislature during the transitional period until elections can be held in 2022;
• as of early December 2019, the TLC had not been established

elections:

Council of State - last held 1 June 2015; National Assembly - last held on 13-15 April 2015; note - elections for an as yet defined new legislature to be held in 2022 at the expiry of the Transnational Legislative Council

election results:

• Council of State - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - NA;
• composition - men 35, women 19, percent of women 35.2%

;

• National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - NCP 323, DUP 25, Democratic Unionist Party 15, other 44, independent 19;
• composition - men 296 women 130, percent of women 30.5%;
• note - total National Legislature percent of women 31%

highest courts:

• 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 selected by the Supreme Judicial Council, which replaced the National Judicial Service Commission upon enactment of the Draft Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period

subordinate courts:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nureldin Mohamed Hamed SATTI (since 17 September 2020)

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 Brian SHUKAN (since September 2019)

telephone:

[249] 18702-2000

embassy:

Kilo 10, Soba, Khartoum

mailing address:

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

FAX:

[249] 18702-2547

• 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

• 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 (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

9 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 42

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

269,958 (2018)

total:

7,251 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

5,851 km 1.067-m gauge (2014); 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations

total:

31,000 km (2019)

paved:

8,000 km (2019)

unpaved:

23,000 km (2019)

urban:

1,000 km (2019)

total:

17

by type:

other 17 (2019)

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF):

• Ground Force, Navy, Sudanese Air Force;
• Rapid Support Forces (RSF, paramilitary);
• Reserve Department (formerly the paramilitary Popular Defense Forces) (2020)

;

• the RSF is an autonomous paramilitary force formed in 2013 to fight armed rebel groups in Sudan, with Mohammed Hamdan DAGALLO (aka Hemeti) as its commander (he is also Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council), from the remnants of the Janjaweed militia that participated in suppressing the Darfur rebellion;
• it was initially commanded by the National Intelligence and Security Service, then came under the direct command of former president Omar al-BASHIR, who boosted the RSF as his own personal security force;
• the RSF has been accused of committing rights abuses against civilians;
• it is also reportedly involved in business enterprises, such as gold mining;
• in late 2019, Sovereignty Council Chairman and SAF Commander-in-Chief General Abd-al-Fatah al-BURHAN said the RSF would be fully integrated into the SAF, but did not give a timeline

• size assessments for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) vary widely, ranging from about 100,000 to more than 200,000 active personnel, including approximately 1,500 Navy and 3,000 Air Force;
• est. 30-40,000 paramilitary Rapid Support Forces;
• est. 20,000 Reserve Department (formerly the paramilitary Popular Defense Forces) (2019)

note: in August 2020, Sudan and the major rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) signed an agreement to integrate the group's fighters into the Sudanese Army by the end of 2023

• the SAF's inventory includes a mix of Chinese, Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian, and domestically-produced weapons systems;
• since 2010, the leading arms providers to the SAF are Belarus, China, Russia, and Ukraine;
• Sudan has a domestic arms industry that manufactures ammunition, small arms, and armored vehicles, largely based on older Chinese and Russian systems (2019 est.)

• estimates vary;
• approximately 1,000-3,000 Libya;
• approximately 1,000-2,000 Yemen (2020)

• 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 early 2019, more than 590,000 Sudanese refugees are being hosted in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan;
• Sudan, in turn, is hosting more than 975,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including more than 845,000 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

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 Filipino 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)