1、 July 1, 2014 Sudan: Issues for CongressWhen it was unified (1956-2011), Sudan was Africas largest nation, and the site of its longest running civil war. In 2011, after decades of fighting broadly described as a conflict between the “Arab” Muslim north and “African” Christian and animist south, Suda
2、n split in two. Mistrust between Sudan and South Sudan lingers, and unresolved disputes still threaten the stability of the region. The north-south split did not resolve other simmering Sudanese conflicts, notably in Darfur, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan. Overlapping struggles between security fo
3、rces and armed groups, among ethnic groups, and between nomadic and farming communities have caused extensive displacement and human suffering. Across the country, social tensions, economic pressures, and political dissent pose ongoing challenges for the Islamist government that came to power throug
4、h a coup in 1989. The secession of South Sudan was a major financial blow to Sudan, which lost 75% of its oil production, two-thirds of its export earnings, and more than half of its fiscal revenues. The ongoing cost of waging war on multiple fronts also fuels domestic criticism of the government. K
