Sudan
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Location:
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Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between
Egypt and Eritrea |
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Background:
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Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented
governments have dominated national politics since
independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan has been
embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years of
this period (1972-82). The wars are rooted in
northern economic, political, and social domination
of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Since
1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects
have led to more than 2 million deaths and over 4
million people displaced. The ruling regime is a
mixture of military elite and an Islamist party that
came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern
opposition parties have made common cause with the
southern rebels and entered the war as a part of an
anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained
momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several
accords, including a cease-fire agreement.
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse
dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic
languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process
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Exchange rates:
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Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 263.31 (2002), 258.7
(2001), 257.12 (2000), 252.55 (1999), 200.8 (1998)
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