Sudan

Republic of the Sudan

LOCATION

Background: Long referred to as Nubia, modern-day Sudan was the site of the Kingdom of Kerma (ca. 2500-1500 B.C.) until it was absorbed into the New Kingdom of Egypt. By the 11th century B.C., the Kingdom of Kush gained independence from Egypt; it lasted in various forms until the middle of the 4th century A.D. After the fall of Kush, the Nubians formed three Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia, with the latter two enduring until around 1500. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, Arab nomads settled much of Sudan, leading to extensive Islamization between the 16th and 19th centuries. Following Egyptian occupation early in the 19th century, an agreement in 1899 set up a joint British-Egyptian government in Sudan, but it was effectively a British colony. Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian co-rule in 1956. During most of the second half of the 20th century, Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars rooted in northern domination of the largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern portion of the country. The first civil war ended in 1972, but another broke out in 1983. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04, and the final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. South Sudan became independent in 2011, but Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements to normalize relations between the two countries. Sudan has also faced conflict in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile starting in 2003.In 2019, after months of nationwide protests, the 30-year reign of President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR ended when the military forced him out. Economist and former international civil servant Abdalla HAMDOUK al-Kinani was selected to serve as the prime minister of a transitional government as the country prepared for elections in 2022. In late 2021, however, the Sudanese military ousted HAMDOUK and his government and replaced civilian members of the Sovereign Council (Sudan’s collective Head of State) with individuals selected by the military. HAMDOUK was briefly reinstated but resigned in January 2022. General Abd-al-Fatah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman, the Chair of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, currently serves as de facto head of state and government. He presides over a Sovereign Council consisting of military leaders, former armed opposition group representatives, and military-appointed civilians. A cabinet of acting ministers handles day-to-day administration.

Location: north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1,861,484 sq km
land: 1,731,671 sq km
water: 129,813 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
Land boundaries: total: 6,819 km
border countries: Central African Republic 174 km; Chad 1,403 km; Egypt 1,276 km; Eritrea 682 km; Ethiopia 744 km; Libya 382 km; South Sudan 2,158 km
Coastline: 853 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north
Elevation: highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,042 m
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 568 m
Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower
Land use: agricultural land: 60.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 11.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 49% (2023 est.)
forest: 12% (2023 est.)
other: 27.7% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: 15,504 sq km (2019)
Major rivers (by length in km): An Nīl (Nile) (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km; Blue Nile river mouth (shared with Ethiopia [s]) - 1,600 kmnote: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km): Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
Major aquifers: Nubian Aquifer System, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Population distribution: with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan is sparsely populated; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur, as shown on this population distribution map
Natural hazards: dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Geography - note: the Nile is Sudan's primary water source; its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile, which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea

Population: total: 50,467,278 (2024 est.)
male: 25,335,092
female: 25,132,186
Nationality: noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sudanese
Ethnic groups: Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Ingessana, Uduk, Fallata, Masalit, Dajo, Gimir, Tunjur, Berti; there are over 500 ethnic groups
Languages: Languages: Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur
major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)
Religions: Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.1% (male 10,278,453/female 9,949,343)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 14,211,514/female 14,390,486)
65 years and over: 3.2% (2024 est.) (male 845,125/female 792,357)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 76.4 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 70.7 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.7 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 17.5 (2024 est.)
Median age: total: 19.5 years (2025 est.)
male: 19 years
female: 19.6 years
Population growth rate: 2.54% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 32.95 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution: with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan is sparsely populated; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur, as shown on this population distribution map
Urbanization: urban population: 36.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 6.344 million KHARTOUM (capital), 1.057 million Nyala (2023)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 256 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 39.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 34.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.8 years (2024 est.)
male: 65.5 years
female: 70.2 years
Total fertility rate: 4.41 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 2.15 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 74.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 59.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 64.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 25.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 40.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 35.1% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 2.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 6.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density: 0.25 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 6.6% (2014)
Alcohol consumption per capita: total: 1.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 1.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 33% (2014)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 7 years (2015 est.)
male: 7 years (2015 est.)
female: 7 years (2015 est.)

Environmental issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water scarcity and drought; overhunting; soil erosion; desertification; deforestation; loss of biodiversity
International environmental agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Climate: hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Land use: agricultural land: 60.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 11.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 49% (2023 est.)
forest: 12% (2023 est.)
other: 27.7% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 36.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 18.242 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 300 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 18.242 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 24.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Methane emissions: energy: 218.5 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture: 1,509.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste: 198.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
other: 38.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 2.831 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 8.9% (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 950 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial: 75 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural: 25.91 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 37.8 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan
local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
local short form: As-Sudan
former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Sudan
etymology: the name derives from the Arabic balad-as-sudan, meaning "Land of the Black [peoples]"
Government type: presidential republic
Capital: name: Khartoum
geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name derives from the Arabic words ras (head or end) and al-khurtum (elephant's trunk), referring to the narrow strip of land between the Blue and White Niles where the city is located
Administrative divisions: 18 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Blue Nile, Central Darfur, East Darfur, Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala, Khartoum, North Darfur, North Kordofan, Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, West Kordofan, White Nile
Legal system: mixed system of Islamic law and English common law
Constitution: history: previous 1973, 1998, 2005 (interim constitution, which was suspended in April 2019); latest initial draft completed by Transitional Military Council in May 2019; revised draft known as the "Draft Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period," or “2019 Constitutional Declaration” was signed by the Council and opposition coalition on 4 August 2019
International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2008
Citizenship: citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Sudan
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Sovereign Council Chair and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abd-al-Fattah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman (since 11 November 2021)
head of government: Sovereign Council Chair and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abd-al-Fattah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman (since 11 November 2021)
cabinet: the military forced most members of the Council of Ministers out of office in 2021; a handful of ministers appointed by former armed opposition groups were allowed to retain their posts; at present, most of the members of the Council are appointed senior civil servants serving in an acting-minister capacity
election/appointment process: military members of the Sovereign Council are selected by the leadership of the security forces; representatives of former armed groups to the Sovereign Council are selected by the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement
election results: NA
expected date of next election: supposed to be held in 2022 or 2023, but the methodology for elections has still not been defined
Judicial branch: highest court(s): National Supreme Court (consists of 70 judges organized into panels of 3 judges and includes 4 circuits that operate outside the capital); a Constitutional Court was required in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration, but it has yet to be implemented
judge selection and term of office: National Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges selected by the Supreme Judicial Council
subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; other national courts; public courts; district, town, and rural courts
Political parties: Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist Party or DUPFederal Umma PartyMuslim Brotherhood or MBNational Congress Party or NCPNational Umma Party or NUPPopular Congress Party or PCPReform Movement NowSudan National FrontSudanese Communist Party or SCPSudanese Congress Party or SCoPUmma Party for Reform and DevelopmentUnionist Movement Party or UMP
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Abdalla IDRIS (since 16 September 2022)
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
email address and website: consular@sudanembassy.orghttps://www.sudanembassy.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Colleen Crenwelge (since May 2024)
embassy: P.O. Box 699, Kilo 10, Soba, Khartoum
mailing address: 2200 Khartoum Place, Washington DC 20521-2200
telephone: [249] 187-0-22000
email address and website: ACSKhartoum@state.govhttps://sd.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU (suspended), CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Flag: description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, with a green isosceles triangle based on the left sidemeaning: red stands for the struggle for freedom; white for peace, light, and love, black for the people; green for Islam, agriculture, and prosperityhistory: colors and design are based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I
National symbol(s): secretary bird
National color(s): red, white, black, green
National anthem(s): title: "Nahnu Djundulla Djundulwatan" (We Are the Army of God and of Our Land)
lyrics/music: Sayed Ahmad Muhammad SALIH/Ahmad MURJAN
history: adopted 1956; originally served as the anthem of the Sudanese military
National heritage: total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region (c); Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe (c); Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park (n)

Economic overview: low-income Sahel economy devastated by ongoing civil war; major impacts on rural income, basic commodity prices, industrial production, agricultural supply chain, communications and commerce; hyperinflation and currency depreciation worsening food access and humanitarian conditions
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $94.42 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $109.147 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $154.672 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: -13.5% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: -29.4% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: -1% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $1,900 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $2,200 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $3,100 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $49.91 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 138.8% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021: 359.1% (2021 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020: 163.3% (2020 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 22.1% (2024 est.)
industry: 23% (2024 est.)
services: 54.9% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 80.7% (2024 est.)
government consumption: 16.5% (2024 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 2.9% (2024 est.)
investment in inventories: 0% (2024 est.)
exports of goods and services: 1.2% (2024 est.)
imports of goods and services: -1.3% (2024 est.)
Agricultural products: sugarcane, sorghum, milk, onions, groundnuts, sesame seeds, goat milk, bananas, mangoes/guavas, millet (2023)
Industries: oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, milling
Industrial production growth rate: -13.1% (2024 est.)
Labor force: 10.949 million (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2023: 11.45% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 7.6% (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate 2021: 11.1% (2021 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 12% (2022 est.)
male: 11.8% (2022 est.)
female: 13.1% (2022 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2023: 2.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 2.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 3.3% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget: revenues: $9.045 billion (2015 est.)
expenditures: $9.103 billion (2015 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 99.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 7.4% (of GDP) (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2022: -$4.443 billion (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: -$2.62 billion (2021 est.)
Current account balance 2020: -$5.841 billion (2020 est.)
Exports: Exports 2022: $5.908 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $6.664 billion (2021 est.)
Exports 2020: $5.065 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners: UAE 21%, China 17%, Saudi Arabia 16%, Malaysia 9%, Egypt 8% (2023)
Exports - commodities: crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, sheep and goats, ground nuts (2023)
Imports: Imports 2022: $11.575 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $10.271 billion (2021 est.)
Imports 2020: $10.52 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners: China 21%, India 19%, Egypt 16%, UAE 14%, Saudi Arabia 7% (2023)
Imports - commodities: raw sugar, wheat flours, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017: $177.934 million (2017 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016: $168.284 million (2016 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2015: $173.516 million (2015 est.)
Debt - external: Debt - external 2023: $21.65 billion (2023 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2022: 546.759 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 370.791 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 53.996 (2020 est.)
Exchange rates 2019: 45.767 (2019 est.)
Exchange rates 2018: 24.329 (2018 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 63.2% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 84%
electrification - rural areas: 49.4%
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 3.815 million kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 13.983 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 882 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 3.646 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 29.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity: 68.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: exports: 15 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 200 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 68,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 129,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 1.25 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas: proven reserves: 84.951 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 6.145 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 156,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 34.7 million (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2022 est.)
Broadcast media: state-owned broadcasters that self-censor but are somewhat independent (2022)
Internet country code: .sd
Internet users: percent of population: 26% (2020 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 30,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: ST
Airports: 45 (2025)
Heliports: 8 (2025)
Railways: total: 7,251 km (2014)
narrow gauge: 5,851 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge
Merchant marine: total: 14 (2023)
by type: other 14
Ports: total ports: 4 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 2
small: 2
very small: 0
ports with oil terminals: 3
key ports: Al Khair Oil Terminal, Beshayer Oil Terminal, Port Sudan, Sawakin Harbor

Military and security forces: Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Ground Force (Sudanese Army), Sudanese Navy, Sudanese Air Force; Rapid Support Forces (RSF); Border GuardsMinistry of Interior: Sudan Police Forces (SPF), Central Reserve Police (CRP) (2025)
Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2021: 1% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military Expenditures 2019: 2.4% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military Expenditures 2018: 2% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military Expenditures 2017: 3.6% of GDP (2017 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths: prior to the outbreak of fighting between the SAF and the RSF in 2023, size estimates for Sudan's armed forces varied widely: up to 200,000 SAF; up to 100,000 RSF; up to 80,000 Central Reserve Police (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions: the SAF's inventory includes a mix of mostly Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and some domestically produced weapons systems; Sudan has a state-run defense industry, which mostly manufactures copies of foreign-supplied armaments, such as armored vehicles, under license (2025)
Military service age and obligation: 18-33 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service for men and women; service obligation 12-24 months (2025)
Military - note: the primary responsibilities of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are border control, external defense, and internal security; SAF operations have traditionally been supported by militia and paramilitary forces, particularly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF); in the Spring of 2023, fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF, particularly around the capital Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur, amid disputes over an internationally-backed plan for a transition towards civilian rule; fighting subsequently spread and continued into 2025 with reports of atrocities, ethnic cleansing, food insecurity, heavy civilian casualties, and millions of internally displaced persons; each side is supported by allied militias and both reportedly have received foreign supportthe Sudanese military has been a dominant force in the ruling of the country since its independence in 1956; in addition, the military has a large role in the country's economy, reportedly controlling over 200 commercial companies, including businesses involved in gold mining, rubber production, agriculture, and meat exportsthe UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has operated in the disputed Abyei region along the border between Sudan and South Sudan since 2011; UNISFA's mission includes ensuring security, protecting civilians, strengthening the capacity of the Abyei Police Service, de-mining, monitoring/verifying the redeployment of armed forces from the area, and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid; as of 2025, UNISFA had approximately 3,800 personnel assigned (2025)

Terrorist group(s): Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa’ida; Harakat Sawa’d Misr

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 837,988 (2024 est.)
IDPs: 11,559,970 (2024 est.)
Trafficking in persons: tier rating: Tier 3 — Sudan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Sudan remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/sudan