Sudan
Sudan is a country in north-eastern Africa, bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the north-east, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the south-west, Chad to the west and Libya to the north-west. The capital is Khartoum, located at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers. Sudan has a population of about 45-million and is the third-largest country in Africa by area. The economy is dominated by agriculture, livestock and oil production, though oil revenues declined sharply after South Sudan's independence in 2011 took most of the oilfields. The currency is the Sudanese pound. Sudan is a republic, though it has experienced prolonged periods of military rule and civil conflict. The country is a member of the African Union and the Arab League. Key agricultural regions include the states of North Kordofan, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, North Darfur and South Darfur, which are significant for crop and livestock production but have also been affected by conflict and food insecurity. Since 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, causing widespread displacement, economic collapse and acute food insecurity across much of the country. The conflict has severely disrupted farming, trade and humanitarian access, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan.
Sudan Updates
SA: Cyril Ramaphosa: Address by South African President, at the fourth session of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC), OR Tambo Building, Pretoria (21/08/2026)
21st August 2026 We meet, Dear Brother, in the aftermath of the tragedy on Lake Kariba, where the capsizing of a ferry claimed close to a hundred lives. Our... →
Chad’s quiet return to French military support
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 20th August 2026 Chad’s rapprochement clashes with its recent emphasis on national sovereignty and risks reviving insecurity among neighbours and disillusionment at... →
Millions of Africans are displaced without crossing a border – and their needs are often overlooked
19th August 2026 The eruption of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2026 sparked a major crisis.... →
Attacks on aid workers hit record high in 2025, UN says
By: Reuters 19th August 2026 A record number of humanitarian workers were attacked last year, driven partly by increased use of armed drones, the United Nations said on... →
Could the AU’s return to Khartoum bring Sudan closer to peace?
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 17th August 2026 Reopening its liaison office offers a narrow, but real, opportunity for the African Union to help achieve a ceasefire. The African Union’s (AU)... →
650 000 refugees in South Sudan could lose food aid within weeks due to funding squeeze, say UN agencies
By: Reuters 14th August 2026 More than 650 000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan risk losing food aid access within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall,... →
Will Kenya investigate and prosecute Sudan’s RSF?
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 12th August 2026 Prosecuting Rapid Support Forces members in Kenya won’t be easy, but will ultimately depend more on politics than on law or capacity. In June, two... →
How Sudan’s war is destroying its development future
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 11th August 2026 Modelling shows that the civil war is pushing an already fragile development trajectory towards systemic collapse. Over 150 000 people have been... →
Boeings identified in Reuters report carried weapons for Sudanese paramilitary, UN experts find
By: Reuters 29th July 2026 United Nations experts have found that Boeing 727s linked by Reuters to a US military contractor's business network transported mercenaries,... →
South Sudan’s first elections won’t be perfect – but another delay could be even riskier
27th July 2026 South Sudan is expected to hold an election on 22 December 2026, the first in the country’s history. It’s already been postponed twice, in 2022 and... →
