SUDAN. Republic of Sudan
A country in northeastern Africa, bordered by the Red Sea. Area — 2.5 million km². Capital - Khartoum (including Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri, approx. 2 million). Administrative-territorial division - 26 states. Population - approx. 30 million; about 48% are Arabs, 30% are tribes of the Negroid race: Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, etc., 6% are Nubians, 6% are Beja, and others. The official language is Arabic. The state religion of the majority of the population is Sunni Islam (70%), while Christianity (approx. 15%) and pagan beliefs prevail in the south. The currency is the Sudanese dinar.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on January 5, 1956).
National holiday - January 1 - Independence Day (1956). The Day of the Revolution of National Salvation (June 30) is also celebrated as a state holiday.
Since the late 19th century, Sudan was effectively a colony of Great Britain, formally (until 1951) under the Anglo-Egyptian condominium. On January 1, 1956, it was proclaimed an independent republic. In 1956, it joined the UN and the League of Arab States, and in 1963, it joined the UAE (since 2002 - the AС). On November 17, 1958, a military dictatorship was established in Sudan, which increased the country's dependence on foreign capital; in the context of anti-democratic policies, an armed separatist movement unfolded in the south. In October 1964, as a result of a popular uprising, the dictatorship was overthrown. In 1965, a bloc of compradors, feudal-tribal elites, large landowners, and bureaucratic officials came to power. On May 25, 1969, nationalist forces overthrew the government.
After an unsuccessful attempt by a group of radical officers to stage a coup in July 1971, repressions against leftist forces began. In 1983, Islamic legislation was introduced in Sudan, making Sharia laws mandatory for all, including the non-Muslim population of the country. On April 6, 1985, the army, led by Colonel General S. Dagab, took power. In April 1986, elections were held for the Constituent Assembly (parliament), after which a coalition government was formed, led by the chairman of the Umma Party, S. al-Mahdi. The government's inability to create the prerequisites for stabilizing the internal political situation and pulling the country out of a deep economic crisis sharply exacerbated the situation at the end of 1988 - beginning of 1989.
On June 30, 1989, a military coup occurred in Sudan, involving fundamentalist Muslim circles. Power passed to the National Salvation Revolutionary Command Council (NSRCC), chaired by Lieutenant General O. X. Bashir, who also took the posts of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. By decrees of the NSRCC, the action of the temporary constitution of 1985 was suspended, previous higher legislative and executive bodies were dissolved, and the activities of all political parties and public organizations were banned, except for the National Islamic Front (Secretary General - X. Turabi). In early 1992, a transitional National Council (parliament) was created. On October 16, 1993, the NSRCC decided to appoint O. X. Bashir as President of Sudan and to dissolve itself. In March 1996, presidential elections and elections to the parliament - the National Assembly (400 deputies) took place.
The posts of President and Prime Minister remained with Bashir. In the summer of 1998, a new constitution was approved in a referendum, legalizing the activities of political and public associations and organizations. In February 1998, the founding congress of a new political organization - the National Congress (Chairman - O. X. Bashir, Secretary General - X. Turabi) took place.
Strict control over the economy, a focus on ensuring food independence through the increase of agricultural production led to a noticeable improvement in the crisis situation in this area. However, in most industrial enterprises and other sectors of the economy, the process of exiting the crisis is proceeding rather slowly.
For decades, one of the main destabilizing factors in the internal political situation in Sudan has been the unresolved issue of the south of the country, where a civil war was ongoing. In 1972, in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), an agreement was reached between representatives of the Sudanese government and the southern Sudanese separatist movement to grant autonomy to southern Sudan. However, the retention of the previous hegemonic line by the nationalist regime of Sudan towards the south and its departure from the agreements reached hindered the implementation of this agreement.
The introduction of Islamic legislation in 1983 significantly exacerbated the southern Sudanese problem. The sharply intensified insurgency in the south of the country grew into a form of organized military-political confrontation, led by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA) under the command of former government army Colonel J. Garang de Mabior. Numerous mediation attempts made by various countries and political figures to resolve the conflict, as well as direct negotiations, did not yield tangible results for a long time. In April 1997, a peace agreement was signed between the Sudanese government and four southern Sudanese opposition groups, which, however, the SPLM/SPLA refused to join.
Contacts held over two years between the SPLM/SPLA and Khartoum, mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), culminated in the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement on January 9, 2005, providing for the division of state power and resources, including oil, between the north and south of the country. After a 6-year transitional period, a referendum on self-determination will be held in the south of the country.
On July 9, 2005, a new leadership of Sudan was sworn in. O. Bashir remained president, J. Garang became the first vice president, and A. O. Taha became the vice president. On July 30, J. Garang died in a plane crash. His deputy in the SPLM, Salva Kiir Mayardit, was appointed as the first vice president. Since August 31, 2005, a bicameral parliament consisting of the National Assembly and the Council of States has been functioning in the country.
Sudan is an agrarian country with a poorly developed economy. About 80% of the self-employed population is engaged in agriculture. It accounts for 46% of GDP. Of the 80 million hectares of arable land, only 6 million are used.
Leading sectors of agriculture: livestock, crop production, cereals, peanuts, gum arabic, cotton. The main cotton-growing area is Al-Jazeera, where farming is conducted by peasants on plots rented from the state. In several other areas, there are large private landholdings, whose owners rent land to peasants. Livestock accounts for about 10% of GDP. The livestock population (2000): about 150 million head of cattle and small livestock.
Industry is poorly developed, primarily specializing in the processing of agricultural raw materials, as well as the production of building materials and consumer goods. Major sectors: processing of agricultural raw materials, production of building materials, consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar (the sugar factory is one of the largest in Africa). Gold, iron, manganese, and chrome ores, as well as oil, are extracted. The share of industrial production in GDP is 23% (2003). About 5% of the self-employed population is employed in industry. Since 2000, industrial oil production has begun in Sudan - about 300,000 barrels/day (2004). The share of the oil industry in GDP is 20%.
GDP in 2003 amounted to $14.9 billion, with a per capita income of $451.
Transport is poorly developed. The railway lines (about 6,000 km) are in a state of disrepair. The length of paved roads is about 15,000 km, and unpaved roads exceed 35,000 km. The state airline "Sudan Airways" services domestic and international routes. There is river and sea shipping. The major seaport is Port Sudan (on the Red Sea).
The volume of foreign trade turnover was $5.4 billion (2003), including exports of $2.5 billion and imports of $2.9 billion. The specificity of foreign trade is its narrow geographical orientation. The main trading partners are China (36%), Saudi Arabia (17.1%), Japan (7.5%), UAE (5.4%). The commodity structure of exports: crude oil - 75%, live cattle - 5%, gasoline - 4.7%. In the structure of imports, machinery and equipment dominate - 25.3%, industrial goods - 22.6%, wheat and flour - 9%, petroleum products - 6.7%.
The most widely circulated newspapers in Arabic are "Al-Ayyam," "As-Sahafa." There is a government Sudanese Information Agency (SUNA) and a state national corporation for broadcasting and television.