Sudan, located in northeast Africa, is a small, impoverished country with a population of about 45 million and a GDP per capita of less than $800. Since independence in 1956, the country has been plagued by perennial civil war, and Sudan has experienced coups almost every decade for the past six decades. And just recently, a military conflict broke out again in Sudan due to a coup!
In addition to the disunity of the Sudanese people themselves, external intervention is one of the main causes of political instability in the Sudan.
For half a century before the independence of the Republic of Sudan, Sudan was colonized and administered jointly by Britain and Egypt, with Britain in charge of the north and Egypt in the south. It was not until January 1, 1956, that Sudan officially freed itself from British colonial rule, declared independence, and established the Republic of Sudan.
Although Sudan was no longer under British rule, its troubles did not end there. Because during the colonial period, the Sudanese people were influenced by the different cultures, classes, education, religions, etc. of the rulers, resulting in no true unity within the Sudan, and the Sudanese people were not united internally, which is also one of the main reasons for the future conflict in Sudan!
Colonized Sudan
Sudan's geographical location as part of the Horn of Africa is extremely important, so world powers, including the United States, began to send weapons to Sudan, a move that further increased tensions in Sudan.
Geography of Sudan
In fact, Sudan is also known as the "arsenal of Africa". As early as the Cold War, Sudan was one of many countries ravaged by the United States and the Soviet Union, and waged war by acting as a proxy. During this period, the United States alone sold nearly $1 billion in weapons to the Government of the Sudan. Today, Sudan is one of Russia's largest customers in Africa.
Thus, Sudan unfortunately inherited the ethnic tensions designed by the colonizers. This is one of the reasons why armed conflicts continue to break out in Sudan!
In May 1983, a second civil war broke out in Sudan, just 11 years after the end of the first Sudanese civil war. The second Sudanese civil war did not end until 2005. The 22-year civil war has left some 1.9 million people dead and more than 4 million displaced. The main location of the war was southern Sudan, which had one of the highest civilian deaths since the Second World War.
In 1997, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Sudan after designating it a state sponsor of terrorism. During the sanctions, the United States also falsely claimed that a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan produced chemical weapons for al-Qaida, so it bombed the pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
South Sudan's independence in 2011 also meant that Sudan lost about 75% of its oil reserves and revenue.
South Sudan and Sudan
In 2014, about 36 percent of Sudan's population was identified as living below the poverty line, meaning that living on less than $1 per person a day.
In 2017, the United States lifted economic sanctions against Sudan that had lasted 20 years since 1997. However, under the long-term impact of sanctions, many Sudanese have lived very badly, and it has become one of the triggers for the outbreak of conflict later.
In 2019, protests swept the country due to rising food and fuel prices, and the Sudanese military took control of the situation. Sudanese President Bashir, who has been in power for 30 years, was overthrown by the military.
The Sudanese military took the oath
In April 2023, another coup d'état broke out in Sudan, and a military conflict broke out!
Frequent armed conflicts and 20 years of U.S. economic sanctions have hampered Sudan's economic development and caused its economic difficulties. If the economy does not work, the people will not have enough to eat, and it will cause dissatisfaction among the people, which will lead to constant conflicts and enter an endless cycle! Coupled with historical, cultural, social and other reasons, there is basically no solution!