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In Pictures
Gallery
A portrait of Sudan
The ancient structures of the Nile Valley in northern Sudan date back to antiquity
Published On 6 Mar 2009
6 Mar 2009
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The region has been influenced by the Egyptian civilization since the time of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom
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The pyramids of Menroe are the remains of a royal cemetery from the Meroitic kingdom (between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D.).
They spread over a small hill about a quarter square kilometre in size
The burial sites belonged to the kings of Meroe, also called the Nubian kings
Their underground graves were richly decorated
Today, many people in this region are nomadic
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Sudan has about 700 tribes that speak over 300 different dialects
The country is predominantly Muslim
The remainder follows animist, indigenous beliefs or Christianity
Drought and desertification is a growing threat in Sudan
Over a quarter of northern Sudan is covered by desert
Much of the population here is dependent on subsistence farming
In 2007, rising oil revenues lifted the Sudanese economy by about 9 per cent
However, rural communities benefit little from the growing oil revenue
The average income of a subsistence farmer is less than a dollar-a-day
Access to clean water, health care, security and education is poor.
Women carry out a major portion of the agricultural activities
- while taking care of the household and food preparation
The constitution of Sudan guarantees women equal rights
In theory, they have access to education, employment, assets and possess voting rights
However, weak world agricultural prices and political instability make life difficult
Civil war stemming from ethnic, religious and economic conflict is ongoing
These conflicts have displaced an estimated four million people
And killed an estimated two million
A 2006 United Nations rating puts Sudan's population at about 37 million
Khartoum, the capital, has a population of around five to seven million
Its population is growing partially due to the arrival of internally displaced people
There are around two million displaced persons living in Khartoum
They come from the southern war zone, Darfur and drought-affected areas
In Khartoum area there are four IDP (internally displaced people) camps
One of them is Omdurman, an IDP camp that is home to more than 40,000 people
Inside the camp, there are basic provisions but no drinking water or sanitary facilities
Coupled with malnutrition this can lead to the deaths of thousands of people
Usually children are at greatest risk
More than half of the inhabitants in the camp are children under the age of 14
The government does little to provide them with their basic rights
Sudan's political power still lies in the hands of Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president.
Bashir has controlled the government since he led a military coup on June 30, 1989
On July 14, 2008, 10 criminal charges were announced against him by Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor
He is accused of sponsoring war crimes and crimes against humanity
An arrest warrant against al-Bashir has been issued on March 3, 2009 [Photos: Nina Sang]
