INDEPENDENT ISLAMIC STATES

Sudan

Official Name: Republic of Sudan (SD)

Capital   : Khartoum

Important Cities: Umdurman, Port Sudan, Wadi Menâdi, al-Ubeyyid, Kadarif, Nyala,

Area: 1.879.358 km2

Population        : 45,500,000[1]

Ethnicity: The largest ethnic group is the Sudanese Arabs, who make up about 50 per cent of the population. Sudanese Arabs speak Arabic and 99 per cent are Muslims. The second ethnic group is the Dinkas, who make up 11.5 per cent of the population. The majority of Dinkas living in the southern regions belong to local religions or are Christians. They are followed by the Bejas, who make up 6.5 per cent of the population and are all Muslims. Nubas constitute 6 per cent of the population. Nubas live in the Nuba mountains in the Kordofan region. Nubas, who are not of Arab origin, have their own language. All Nubas are Muslims. However, some pre-Islamic traditions still exist among them. In order to weaken the Islamic consciousness among the Nubas, the British banned all Islamic education and proselytising activities in this region. The next ethnic element after the Nubas is the Nubians, who constitute approximately 5 per cent of the population. All of the Nubians are Muslims. They are followed by the Hausas, who constitute 4% of the population and are all Muslims.

Language: The official language is Arabic. The majority speak Arabic. Some local languages are also spoken.

Religion: The official religion is Islam. 83 per cent of the population is Muslim, 10 per cent are members of local religions and 7 per cent are Christians. All of the Muslims are Sunni and the majority of them are Shafi'i and some of them are Maliki.

Geographical Situation: Sudan, an East African country, is surrounded by Egypt from the north, the Red Sea from the north-east, Ethiopia from the east, Kenya, Uganda and Zaire from the south, the Central African Republic and Chad from the west, and Libya from the north-west. The most important rivers of the country are the White and Blue Nile. The White Nile is formed by rivers originating from Uganda, Kenya and Zaire. The Blue Nile has its source in the Ethiopian highlands. These two Niles merge at the border of Khartoum and Umderman cities and become a single river and flow towards Egypt. The region between the two Nile is called al-Jazira. Its territory consists of 13% arable land, 22% pastures and 19% forests and shrubs. The arable land is mostly in the south and on the banks of the Nile. The southern part, surrounded by Imatong and Abyssinia mountains, has a rainy, arable and tropical climate. Central Sudan consists of plains with settlements. Northern Sudan is mostly covered with deserts which are not very favourable for plant growth. Sudan has a tropical climate.

Mode of Government: Administration has been in the hands of the military since the 1989 coup. However, most ministers are civilians. The head of state, who came to power through a military coup, is also the head of government. It has a 304-member parliament. From the beginning of 1991, it was decided to implement Islamic laws gradually. In line with this decision, Islamic laws have been implemented to a large extent.

International Organisations: UN, OIC[2], League of Arab States, Organisation of African Unity, African Antillean and Pacific Charter, IMF, Islamic Development Bank.

Political Parties: After the 30 June 1989 military coup, all political parties in Sudan were dissolved. The Ummah Party won 104 seats in the 304-member parliament in the last general elections. Democratic Unity Party: This party, led by Uthman al-Mirgeni, was of Sufi origin. However, it adopted a western and secularist approach. In the last general elections, this party won 62 seats in parliament.

History: After the conquest of Egypt by Amr bin al-As (r.a.) in 639, the Muslims who settled in this country introduced Islam to the Sudanese. Muslims who settled in Egypt carried out some military movements to conquer Sudan from the middle of the 7th century. By the 11th century, most of the local rulers in Northern and Western Sudan had become Muslims.  Turan Shah, the brother of Salahuddin Ayyubid in 1172, and Baybars in 1260 organised an expedition to today's Sudan. The Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517 had an impact in Sudan. The Nubians felt themselves more powerful and expanded their sphere of dominance. In 1821, Mehmed Ali Pasha, the governor of Egypt, sent an army against the Funj Empire and conquered the Sudanese territories. Mehmed Ali Pasha dismissed Ismail Pasha, who had conquered Sudan, and replaced him with his own son. The Ansar movement established a separate administration on the lands under its control with its successes.  Ahmed Mahdi died on 22 January 1885. Sudan remained under British occupation until it gained its independence on 1 January 1956.

     In the first general elections held in January 1958, the Islamic-oriented Umma Party won the elections with a large majority and its leader Abdullah Khalil became prime minister. On 17 November 1958, General Ibrahim Abbud carried out a military coup and ended the rule of Abdullah Khalil. When the opposition against Ibrahim Abbud intensified as of mid-1964, Abbud felt the need to take Serab Hātim al-Khalifa with him in the administration. On 15 November 1964, he completely handed over the administration to him and withdrew himself. In June 1965, the Unionist National Party won the elections, and on 8 June 1965, Ismail Ezheri, the head of this party, became president and Mohammed Ahmed Mahjub became prime minister. In July 1966, in a change of government, Muhammad Ahmad Mahjub was replaced by Sadiq al-Mahdi, head of the Ummah Party, as prime minister. When Sadiq al-Mahdi resigned, Mahjub was reinstated as prime minister. This government was overthrown by Colonel Jafar Numeyri in a military coup on 25 May 1969. He also had many people arrested, especially Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the Ummah Party. Numeyri changed his attitude after a short period of time and started to liquidate the communists. Major Hâshim el-Atta, one of the communist officers, ended Numeyri's rule with a military coup on 19 July 1971. Numeyri recovered within three days and regained power. He won 90 per cent of the vote in the presidential elections in October 1971. Numeyri then endeavoured to establish good relations with Islamic sectors. In 1983, he took Abdullah al-Turabi, who had been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood for a while and later formed a separate group called the Islamic National Front, with him. After his co-operation with Turabi, Numeyri decided to implement Islamic laws in the country in September 1983. This decision was ostensibly a requirement of the protocol of co-operation with Turabi, but in reality it was the result of Numeyri's struggle to remain in power. The United States immediately cut off its economic aid in response to Numeyri's decision. US Vice-President George Bush visited Khartoum in February 1984. Following this visit, Numeyri made speeches heavily criticising and slandering the Islamic community. In March 1985, the application of Islamic law was terminated and Turabi and his friends were imprisoned. General Abdurrahman Suvaruzzeheb, the chief of the General Staff, then ended Numeyri's sixteen-year rule with a military coup on 6 April 1985. General Suvaruzzeheb held elections one year later in April 1986. 46 political parties participated in the elections and no party won an absolute majority. After the elections, the task of forming the government was given to Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the New Ummah Party, which came out as the first party in the elections. Sadiq al-Mahdi formed a coalition government with the Democratic Unity Party, headed by Osman al-Mirgeni, who had a westernist approach. This coalition came to the point of dissolution towards the middle of 1988. Thereupon, Sadiq al-Mahdi wanted to form a coalition with the Islamic National Front Party led by Turabi. Turabi stipulated the introduction of Islamic laws in the country. Since Sadiq al-Mahdi considered himself obliged to co-operate with Turabi, he accepted his condition and the proposal for the implementation of Islamic laws was approved by the parliament. Thereupon, the USA stepped in again and started to use its economic pressure to put an end to the implementation of Islamic laws. The al-Mahdi government, which did not have any programme for the economic independence of the country, was in a difficult situation in the face of the US pressure. Therefore, there was a reaction among the people against the government and this reaction started to intensify towards the end of 1988. In the face of the developments, the General Staff issued a note on 20 February 1989. Subsequently, a military coup was carried out on 30 June 1989 under the leadership of General Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, the Chief of General Staff. General el-Bashir closed all political parties. Firstly, he implemented a programme to make the country economically independent. This programme was successful to a great extent. Al-Bashir, who called the military coup he carried out as the 'National Liberation Revolution', started a gradual process of Islamisation after bringing his economic programme to a certain point. Accordingly, Islamic laws were gradually implemented. The US again used economic pressure to force Sudan to back down. However, Sudan's economic independence programme largely neutralised the US economic pressure. The US also forced Sudan to abolish Islamic laws through political pressure. However, despite all these pressures, the Sudanese government showed determination to continue the process of Islamisation and did not step back.[3]

Internal Problems: The most important internal issue of Sudan is the Southern issue. This issue is a legacy of the British occupiers. Today, most of the animists, who make up 10 per cent of Sudan's population, and Christians, who make up 7 per cent, live in the South. The British occupiers did not stop there; they also created a pro-independence movement in this region. Therefore, even before the British withdrawal from Sudan, a separatist movement emerged in 1955 in South Sudan. This separatist movement has always been the most important problem of Sudan. The movement, created and nurtured by the colonial powers, has caused many casualties and loss of life and property. Today, the separatist movement in South Sudan is led by an organisation called the Sudan People's Liberation Front, led by Jhon Krank. This organisation was based in Ethiopia until the fall of the communist regime there. The leaders of the organisation were then expelled from Ethiopia and moved to Kenya. Under General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the separatists in the South suffered significant losses and were forced to withdraw from many areas they had previously seized. Sudan's second internal problem is the issue of refugees. Eritrean refugees who took refuge in Sudan because of the civil war in Ethiopia constitute an important burden for the Sudanese economy.

External Problems: Since the Sudanese government has started an Islamisation process in the country and is making efforts to implement Islamic laws, it is facing various external pressures. Therefore, Sudan is pressurised both economically and politically. The US has tried to impose an embargo against Sudan in order to push Sudan into isolation. In addition, it includes Sudan in the list of 'Countries Supporting Terrorism' prepared every year. He tried to bring Egypt and Sudan against each other. Another external issue of Sudan is the al-Halayib issue between Sudan and Egypt. When bloody wars broke out between the north and the south, the Sudanese government held a referendum in 2011, which resulted in the separation of South and North Sudan as of July 2011. However, this separation did not solve the problems and the management of the oil region continues to be a subject of debate and dispute.

Islamism in the country: The Islamic group with the largest popular base in Sudan is the Islamic National Front, led by Hassan Abdullah al-Turabi. This front was working as a political party before al-Bashir's military coup. After the military coup, Turabi's party was closed down along with other political parties. However, it was soon realised that the soldiers who carried out the coup, especially al-Bashir, were the ones who had adopted Turabi's views. This situation also manifested itself in the policy pursued by the administration. Most of the prominent members of the Islamic National Front were appointed to various positions in the government. Turabi's co-operation with Numeyri and the formation of the Islamic National Front came after his separation from the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose first nucleus was formed in the 1940s when Sudan was still under British occupation, continues to exist as a separate community. Although this congregation does not have as large a mass base as Turabi's group, it has a more disciplined and more established organisational structure. The members of the Brotherhood are generally from the educated and cultivated class. The most recent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan was Dr. al-Hibr Yusuf Nuru'd-Dayim. Third among the organised Islamic organisations in Sudan is the Salafist Jemaah Ansar al-Sunnat al-Muhammadiyah.

Administrative Division: It consists of 9 states, 15 provinces and 66 districts.

Economy: Sudan economy is mostly based on agriculture and animal husbandry. Agricultural lands are in the south. In the north, agriculture is carried out on both sides of the Nile River. On both sides of the Nile, an area of up to seven kilometres is irrigated and agriculture is carried out in this area. In order to utilise the Nile regularly and to the maximum extent, dams have been built in some places. The share of income from agricultural products and animal husbandry in the gross domestic product is 38%. 63% of the working population is employed in these sectors. After the 1989 revolution, the incumbent government placed great emphasis on agricultural development and made significant progress in freeing the country from dependence on foreign sources for food. The most produced agricultural products are cereals, sugar cane, sesame, millet, cotton and peanuts. Sudan has various underground resources, especially gold, zinc, lead, coal, copper, iron, manganese, sulphur, mica and graphite. However, not all local resources can be exploited. Iron, copper, gold, manganese and mica mines are mined in the facilities established in some places. All of the salt requirement is provided from domestic production. A small amount of petrol is also produced.

Currency: Sudanese Pound (SDG)

National income per capita: 714 USD

Foreign trade: It exports sugar, cereals, cotton, sheep, sheep, leather, peanuts, sesame and gum arabic. Imported goods are machinery, transport vehicles and spare parts, electrical and electronic equipment, textile products, petroleum products, chemicals and foodstuffs. Foreign trade is mostly with European Union countries, USA, Japan and some Arab countries.

Industry: At the beginning of the industrial organisations are the factories that process the agricultural products produced in the country. These are sugar, flour, cigarette factories and industrial establishments producing various foodstuffs. These industrial establishments constitute 60% of all industrial establishments. There are also many industrial enterprises in textiles, garments, leatherwork, furniture, woodwork, chemical production, household and earthenware production, etc.

Energy: 30% of the electrical energy is obtained from thermal power plants and 70% from hydroelectric power plants. Annual electricity consumption per capita is 51 kw/hour on average.

Transport: Khartoum has an international airport. There are 12 airports used for domestic transport. Port Sudan harbour on the Red Sea coast is Sudan's sea gate to the world. Exports and imports by sea are carried out from here. It has 4874 km. of railway and 22.500 km. of highway, 2030 km of which are asphalted. The Nile river is also utilised in transport. In this country, there is one motorised transport vehicle for 141 people on average.

Education: Primary education is free and compulsory. Primary school starts at the age of six and lasts six years. Secondary and high school are three years each. There are 8550 primary schools and 5,600 secondary schools, including vocational schools. Sudan has five universities. There are 20 colleges. The language of instruction in public schools is Arabic. Among young people of higher education age, the rate of those enrolled in university is 2 per cent. The rate of those who can read and write is 27 per cent. There are also voluntary educational institutions providing religious education. Especially in South Sudan, Christian missionaries have opened various educational institutions.

Health: There are 200 hospitals, 2650 doctors and one doctor for 9434 people.