Sudan

Sudan is a country in north-eastern Africa, bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the north-east, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the south-west, Chad to the west and Libya to the north-west. The capital is Khartoum, located at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers. Sudan has a population of about 45-million and is the third-largest country in Africa by area. The economy is dominated by agriculture, livestock and oil production, though oil revenues declined sharply after South Sudan's independence in 2011 took most of the oilfields. The currency is the Sudanese pound. Sudan is a republic, though it has experienced prolonged periods of military rule and civil conflict. The country is a member of the African Union and the Arab League. Key agricultural regions include the states of North Kordofan, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, North Darfur and South Darfur, which are significant for crop and livestock production but have also been affected by conflict and food insecurity. Since 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, causing widespread displacement, economic collapse and acute food insecurity across much of the country. The conflict has severely disrupted farming, trade and humanitarian access, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan.