History & Political Structure
We learn about Sudan's history and political structure through the eyes of the young Achak. The boy describes an unusually amicable relationship between his father, a Dinka storeowner, and the Arab merchants of the North. Theirs is an agreement based mainly on commerce that relies on a very fragile infrastructure of a country that even during relative peace in the early 1980s threatens to unravel at any moment. Achak can sense the current unease, but he has difficulty understanding it in his sheltered village life.
When he loses his home and his family, Achak discovers that Sudan's political alliances rest on multiple factors—ethnicity, geography, money, identity, and religion. When the lines among these factors become blurred, violence results.
What's happening now?
- Check out these news web sites for current events and updates:
Facts About Sudan
- World Factbook: Everything you need to know about Sudan, its people, geography, government, and economy, compiled by the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
- Full study on the country of Sudan by the Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (data as of 1991), plus an updated country profile pdf (current as of 2004)
- Country profile and Sudan media links provided by BBC News
A History of Conflict
- A brief history of recent conflict in southern Sudan and Darfur since the country gained independence in 1955.
- Southern Sudan Fragile Peace: includes a timeline and political analysis of the conflicts from the Reuters' Foundation AlertNet
- A perspective on the role of religion and politics in Sudan from the United States Institute of Peace