Sudan, its history and conflicts

Some facts and figures about Sudan, its history, politics and conflicts.

THE COUNTRY: * The largest African country, slightly more than a fourth the size of the US.* Borders the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya and Uganda.* Population: 41 million.* The people: About 50 per cent black African, 40 per cent Arab and 10 per cent other ethnic groups.* Religion: About 70 per cent Sunni Muslim (in north), 25 per cent animist and other indigenous religions and five per cent Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum) HISTORY: * Sudan gained independence from Britain in 1956.* A north-south civil war broke out in the 1950s and ended in a fragile peace in 1973.* War erupted again in 1983, when the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum tried to impose Islamic law on the mainly Christian and animist south.* More than 2,5 million people died, mainly from war-induced famine and disease, and at least twice as many fled their homes.* Peace talks gained momentum between 2002 and 2004 with the signing of several accords.* A final peace treaty signed in January 2005 granted southern rebels autonomy for six years, after which there will be a referendum on independence.It calls for sharing power and wealth with southerners but has been criticised for not including other marginalised peoples, including those in the western Darfur region.* Since 2003, a separate conflict in the western Darfur region has resulted in some 180 000 people dead and two million displaced.* Sudan also has faced a large refugee influx, particularly from Ethiopia and Chad.Armed conflict, poor transportation and lack of government support have stymied humanitarian assistance.DARFUR:* Decades of low-level tribal clashes over land and water in Darfur erupted into large-scale violence in early 2003 when some ethnic groups took up arms, accusing the Arab-dominated central government of neglect.* The central government is accused of responding by unleashing Arab tribal militias known as Janjaweed to murder and rape civilians and lay waste to villages.Sudan denies backing the Janjaweed.* The United Nations says Darfur fighting has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, and chaos has now spread to neighbouring Chad, where hundreds of thousands of Darfur refugees are sheltering.* The African Union has deployed peacekeepers to Darfur and sponsored two years of peace talks that resulted in a cease-fire.- Nampa-AP * See also report on page 9* The largest African country, slightly more than a fourth the size of the US.* Borders the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya and Uganda.* Population: 41 million.* The people: About 50 per cent black African, 40 per cent Arab and 10 per cent other ethnic groups.* Religion: About 70 per cent Sunni Muslim (in north), 25 per cent animist and other indigenous religions and five per cent Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum) HISTORY: * Sudan gained independence from Britain in 1956.* A north-south civil war broke out in the 1950s and ended in a fragile peace in 1973.* War erupted again in 1983, when the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum tried to impose Islamic law on the mainly Christian and animist south.* More than 2,5 million people died, mainly from war-induced famine and disease, and at least twice as many fled their homes.* Peace talks gained momentum between 2002 and 2004 with the signing of several accords.* A final peace treaty signed in January 2005 granted southern rebels autonomy for six years, after which there will be a referendum on independence.It calls for sharing power and wealth with southerners but has been criticised for not including other marginalised peoples, including those in the western Darfur region.* Since 2003, a separate conflict in the western Darfur region has resulted in some 180 000 people dead and two million displaced.* Sudan also has faced a large refugee influx, particularly from Ethiopia and Chad.Armed conflict, poor transportation and lack of government support have stymied humanitarian assistance.DARFUR: * Decades of low-level tribal clashes over land and water in Darfur erupted into large-scale violence in early 2003 when some ethnic groups took up arms, accusing the Arab-dominated central government of neglect.* The central government is accused of responding by unleashing Arab tribal militias known as Janjaweed to murder and rape civilians and lay waste to villages.Sudan denies backing the Janjaweed.* The United Nations says Darfur fighting has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, and chaos has now spread to neighbouring Chad, where hundreds of thousands of Darfur refugees are sheltering.* The African Union has deployed peacekeepers to Darfur and sponsored two years of peace talks that resulted in a cease-fire.- Nampa-AP * See also report on page 9