Sudan

Sudan is a large country located in Northeast Africa.

It is the third-largest country on the African continent by land area. The nation covers 1,886,068 square kilometres. Sudan shares borders with several different countries and bodies of water. Egypt lies to the north of the country. To the west is Chad, and the Central African Republic is to the southwest. The Red Sea forms the eastern border. To the southeast, Sudan borders Eritrea and Ethiopia. To the south, it sits next to South Sudan. The capital city is Khartoum, which is also the most populous city.

The history of this region stretches back tens of thousands of years. Archaeological sites like Affad 23 show evidence of prehistoric camps. Some of these sites are approximately 50,000 years old. As the Sahara Desert began to dry, people migrated into the Nile Valley. These Neolithic people lived in fortified villages made of mud bricks. They practiced a sedentary way of life. They gathered grain and raised cattle. They also hunted and fished along the Nile River. This cultural mixing led to the rise of the Kingdom of Kerma around 2500 BC.

The Kerma culture was a major early civilization in ancient Nubia. It flourished from about 2500 BC until 1500 BC. This polity was centered in what is now northern and central Sudan. At its peak, the Kerma empire was a powerful rival to Egypt. During the Egyptian New Kingdom, Egypt expanded its control southward. Egyptian kings like Thutmose I led military campaigns to occupy Kush. This resulted in the annexation of Nubia into the Egyptian empire. For many years, Nubia served as a vital province for Egypt. It was an important economic and political center.

After the decline of the New Kingdom, the Kingdom of Kush emerged.

This powerful Nubian state was centered near the meeting of the Blue Nile and White Nile. The Kushite kings were highly influential in the region. In the eighth century BC, King Kashta invaded Egypt. This allowed Kushite kings to rule as pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. At its height, the empire stretched from South Kordofan to the Sinai. The Kushites also built many impressive structures. They constructed numerous Nubian pyramids between 800 BC and 100 AD. These include sites at El-Kurru, Gebel Barkal, and Meroe.

Sudan's political landscape changed many times through the centuries. Following the fall of Kush, Christian kingdoms like Nobatia and Makuria formed. Later, Arab nomads settled much of the area during the 14th and 15th centuries. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, different groups held power. The Funj sultanate ruled central and eastern areas. The Darfur region was ruled separately. In the 19th century, Egypt conquered the entire territory. Later, the United Kingdom and Egypt shared sovereignty through a condominium. This meant Sudan was effectively a British possession.

Sudan gained its independence on 1 January 1956.

However, the new nation faced many internal struggles. Conflicts arose over religion, language, and political power. A civil war between the north and south lasted from 1955 to 1972. A second civil war also occurred between government forces and southern rebels. This long period of instability eventually led to the independence of South Sudan in 2011.

Between 1989 and 2019, Omar al-Bashir led a military dictatorship. His regime was responsible for widespread human rights abuses. This included ethnic genocide in Darfur from 2003 to 2020. During this time, an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people were killed.

Today, Sudan faces significant economic and social challenges. The country is classified as a least developed nation. It ranks 170th on the Human Development Index. The economy relies heavily on agriculture. This is due to international sanctions and a history of instability. Much of the land is very dry, which creates water stress.

Over 60% of the population lives in poverty. Since 2023, a third civil war has begun. This conflict is fought between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

This ongoing fighting continues to affect the lives of millions of people.