33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

SUDAN 3 Within the Niger-Congo family, there is Zande, spoken in western Sudan by the Zande people, as well as in Congo and Central African Republic. Fulfulde, or Fulani is spoken in the north, Blue Nile and Kordofan regions by about 120,000 people. English is the main language in the south, used as a lingua franca in areas where Sudanese Creole is not used 3 . LITERACY RATE : 75.9% 4 ETHNIC GROUPS: There are 19 major ethnic groups and over 597 ethnic subgroups speaking more than 100 languages and dialects. Arab-speaking Muslims constitute 70% of the total population, followed by Nubians, Copts, Beja and others. The Sudanese Arabs are the largest ethnic group in Sudan and are predominantly Muslim . They speak the Sudanese-Arab dialect, a local variant of Arabic. The Nubians are an ethnic group from the Nubia region, located by the Nile river in the northern parts of Sudan and souther n Egypt. The Sudanese Nubians foster close cultural, language and family ties with the neighbouring Egyptian Nubians. They mainly speak Arabic and practice Islam. The Zaghawa , also known as Beri, are a semi-nomadic community, living in central African countries such a s Chad, Niger, who speak a language called Zaghawa. They engage in herding cattle, sheep and camels. The Zaghawa of Sudan concentrate in the politically unstable and war-ridden Darfur region. They constitute the bulk of people living in refugee camps. The Copts are an ethno-religious community living in North Africa, the Middle East, Egypt , Libya and Sudan. They are the largest ethnic group of Christian faith in Sudan, and speak Arabic. They constitute about 1% of the Sudan population. Other ethnic groups in Sudan include the Masalit, Fulani, and Beja 5 . BELIEF: Islam is the most widely practiced in North Sudan, while Christianity is more diffused in the south. Although the Sunni branch of Islam dominates, Sufi brotherhoods are also common. There is a strong belief in the Evil Eye; and cults of holy men and women or cults linked to brotherhoods, such as the Qadiriyah, Tijaniyah, Al-Fasi, Khatmiyah and Mahdiyah brotherhoods, are widespread. Moreover, many locals hold traditional animist beliefs. Christians make up 6.3% of the population 6 . POLITICAL SITUATION: Sudan has witnessed decades of conflict since its independence in 1956, mainly due to the political, economic, religious and cultural marginalisation of certain ethnic groups by the Khartoum government. Disagreements over national identity lie at the basis of the conflict. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 which led to the independence of South Sudan in 2011, has scarcely benefitted Sudan’s other regions, where skirmishes and unrest persist. 3 http://looklex.com/e.o/sudan.languages.htm 4 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html 5 http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-ethnic-groups-in-sudan.html 6 http://looklex.com/e.o/sudan.religions.htm