Sudan Today
Following independence, Sudan had 2 very long civil wars. The discovery of oil in 1978 led to increased fighting. There has been a continuing conflict between the northern Sudanese, mostly Muslim Arabs who control the government, and the southern Sudanese, who are generally non-Muslim and non-Arab. Sudan's current leader, General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, took power in a military coup in 1989. His government abolished the constitution and all political parties and made Arabic the language of instruction, replacing English. A 2005 peace agreement established a civilian government. Sudan is currently experiencing many challenges. Desertification and overpopulation have led to crop failures and competition for limited resources. More than 3 million Sudanese have been directly affected by famine. In recent years the conflict in the western Darfur region has become an international concern. The people of Darfur, who are mostly non-Arab black Africans of various tribal groups, accuse the government troops and Janjaweed militia of atrocities against them. Approximately 400,000 residents of Darfur have been displaced by the conflict. Many in the international community have characterized the situation in Darfur as genocide, but the government denies any wrongdoing.
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