On Friday, the president of the United States signed an executive order freezing entrance into the US from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days. The countries banned are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen. This order has caused outcry from human rights organizations, legal scholars, and the international community. This week Her Campus Lasell will feature an informational article on each country whose citizens have been banned from the US in order to increase understanding of the complex nature of these countries and their citizens.
Sudan
Demographics
Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, is split in half vertically by the Nile River. It is bordered by Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya. In 2011, as a result of civil war, South Sudan broke off from Sudan and formed their own autonomous country. There are around 600 different ethnic groups in Sudan that speak 400 different dialects. 97 percent of the population practices Islam, and are primarily Sufi or Salafi Muslims. Primary education is free and compulsory in Sudan. However due to recent conflict, access to schools, particularly in rural areas, is limited. The overall literacy rate in Sudan is estimated to be around 70 percent of adults.
History
The first human activity in Sudan is recorded back to eighth millennium BCE. Sudan was run under Egyptian pharaoh leadership for many years, then the Ottoman Turks, and eventually became an Egyptian-run British protectorate. Sudan played an active role in the North African front of the two World Wars. In 1956, Sudan finally gained independence from Egypt and Britain. In a succession of coups, a new government came to power in 1972. The country struggles with civil war between the north and south for the next twenty years. In 1989 there was another coup, and a military dictator took power. In 1996 a one-party election was held. Sudan came under fire for inviting Osama bin Laden to visit the country, and was bombed by the US. In the year 2003 the second Sudanese civil war broke out. In 2006 a peace agreement was signed, and in 2011 a UN resolution was passed that split Sudan and South Sudan. Violence between tribes on the border between the two countries still occurs.
Government
Officially, Sudan is a federal representative democratic republic with a multiparty parliamentary system. According to the constitution, the parliament consists of two chambers whose members are indirectly elected by state legislators. However, Sudan is still recognized as an authoritarian state. All political power is held by the current president and his party. Multi-party elections were held in 2010, however they were not considered valid due to a lack of transparency and political manipulation. The government is currently controlled by the same party and president that have been in power for over the past 20 years. The legal system in Sudan is based on Sharia law, however its application is geographically inconsistent. .
Human Rights
In Sudan, punishments for breaking Sharia law are in deep violation of citizens’ human rights. Stoning to death is still a judicial punishment. Public flogging is also common. The death penalty is commonly carried out through either crucifixion or hanging. Police officers are allowed to publicly whip women accused of indecency. 88 percent of women have undergone female genital mutilation. Child marriage is common and legal. Freedom of the press is virtually non-existent.
Terrorism
Terrorism in Sudan began in the 1990s with the visit of Osama bin Laden to the country. Bin Laden set up training camps and business ventures in the country. Since then, Sudan has been accused of harboring and aiding terrorist organizations. Due to the vast geographical size of Sudan, terrorist training camps are often hidden in throughout the country. Terrorism within the state between rival tribes and religious groups is common.
US-Sudan Relations
In 1967, Sudan broke relations with the US following the Arab-Israeli War. Relations began to improving in the 1970s after a communist government was overthrown. However, tensions remained, and escalated quickly after the US bombing of Libya in 1985. Following the rise of the current authoritarian government, the US pulled all humanitarian aid from the country. Tensions further strained when Sudan back Iraq in the Iraq-Kuwait invasion. In 2000, the two countries agreed to collaborate on security and intelligence. However, in 2007, George W. Bush enacted sanctions against Sudan for their alleged assistance to terrorist organizations. These sanctions have since been eased under Barack Obama. The US continues to be a major source of humanitarian and economic aid for the country of Sudan.
Sources:
“The World Factbook: Sudan”. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. ISSN 1553-8133. Retrieved 10 July 2011., Collins, Robert O. (2008). A History of Modern Sudan. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85820-5., Davison, Roderic H. (1960). “Where is the Middle East?”. Foreign Affairs. 38 (4): 665–675. doi:10.2307/20029452., “Sudan A Country Study”. Countrystudies.us., M. Daly, Empire on the Nile, p.346.
Morewood, p.164-5, “Brief History of the Sudan”. Sudan Embassy in London. 20 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2013., “Factbox – Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir”. Reuters. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2011., The New York Times. 16 March 1996. p. 4.
, “UNMIS Media Monitoring Report” (PDF). United Nations Mission in Sudan. 4 January 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2006., “Sudan, Chad Agree To Stop Fighting”. China Daily. Beijing. Associated Press. 4 May 2007., “President Omar al-Bashir Declared Winner of Sudan Poll”. BBC News. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011., Butty, James (1 April 2010). “Yasir Arman’s Sudan Expert Says Yasir Arman’s Withdrawal from Election Significant”. Voice of America. Retrieved 8 January 2011., “Sudan’s haphazard Sharia legal system has claimed too many victims”. The Guardian., “Sudanese woman sentenced to stoning death over adultery claims”.,“Detainee dies in custody in Port Sudan after court-ordered flogging”. Sudan Tribune., “Two Sudanese men died after being detained and flogged 40 times each, says rights group”. The Journal.,“Two Sudan men die after floggings: rights group”. Agence France-Presse.
“Sharia law to be tightened if Sudan splits – president”. BBC News. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2011., “allAfrica.com: Sudanese Authorities Urged Not to Introduce “Censorship Bureau””. allAfrica.com. Retrieved 15 February 2015., Bechtold, Peter R. (1991). “More Turbulence in Sudan”. In Voll, John. Sudan: State and Society in Crisis. Boulder, CA: Westview Press. p. 1., “Sudan Overview”. UNDP Sudan. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012., “Sudan country profile” (PDF). Library of Congress Federal Research Division. December 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2013.http://tourismofsudan.blogspot.com/