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Home › Sudan

Sudan country profile

Region: North-East Africa
Population: 39.4 million (UN, 2008)
Capital: Khartoum
Major languages: Arabic, English, Dinka, Nuer, Bari and other tribal languages
Major religions: Islam, Christianity, and indigenous beliefs
Terrain: Generally flat, featureless plains; mountains in far south, north-east and west; desert dominates the north
Climate: Tropical in the south, arid desert in the north

 

Sudanese woman grinds dry herbs

 

Background
 
Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has suffered two civil wars. The separate conflict which broke out in Darfur in 2003 has displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000-400,000 deaths.
 
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has reported strong links between conflict and environment issues in Sudan. Indirect environmental impacts of the conflict in Darfur include population displacement, lack of governance, resource exploitation and underinvestment in sustainable development. Simultaneously, environmental issues continue to be contributing causes of conflict, most notably competition over oil and gas reserves, Nile waters and timber, as well as land use issues related to agricultural land.
 

Desertification poses a substantial threat to livelihoods and regional stability. An estimated 50-200 km southward shift of the boundary between semi-desert and desert has occurred since rainfall and vegetation records were first held in the 1930s. The remaining semi-desert and low rainfall savannah on sand, which represent some 25% of Sudan’s agricultural land, are at considerable risk of further desertification.

Potential impacts of climate change
 
Climate change on the scale projected for sub-Saharan Africa will have consequences that extend far beyond agriculture. The increasing southward expansion of the desert, and effect on livelihoods and resources, threatens the entire region. Climate models for the Northern Kordofan region of Sudan indicate that temperatures will rise by 1.5°C between 2030 and 2060, with rainfall declining by 5%, and more regular and severe droughts.
 

Possible impacts on agriculture include a 70% drop in yields of sorghum (maize). This is against the backdrop of a long-term decline in rainfall that, coupled with overgrazing, has seen deserts encroach in some regions of Sudan by 100 kilometres over the past 40 years. Agricultural production comprises 26% of Sudan’s annual GDP, a figure which has plummeted from 42% in 2000 (World Bank, 2008). The interaction of climate change with ongoing environmental degradation has the potential to exacerbate a wide range of conflicts, undermining efforts to build a basis for long-term peace and human security.

(Sources: CIA World Factbook, WHO, UNEP, Post-conflict Environmental Assessment UNEP, Global Humanitarian Forum, UNDP, BBC News Online)