Factbook
History of Sudan — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Sudan, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
15002500-1500 B.C.) until it was absorbed into the New Kingdom of Egypt.
1500After the fall of Kush, the Nubians formed three Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia, with the latter two enduring until around 1500.
1899Following Egyptian occupation early in the 19th century, an agreement in 1899 set up a joint British-Egyptian government in Sudan, but it was effectively a British colony.
1956Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK).
1956Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian co-rule in 1956.
1972The first civil war ended in 1972, but another broke out in 1983.
2002Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04, and the final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan.
2003Sudan has also faced conflict in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile starting in 2003.
2011South Sudan became independent in 2011, but Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements to normalize relations between the two countries.
2019In 2019, after months of nationwide protests, the 30-year reign of President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR ended when the military forced him out.
2021In late 2021, however, the Sudanese military ousted HAMDOUK and his government and replaced civilian members of the Sovereign Council (Sudan’s collective Head of State) with individuals selected by the military.
2021Military spending: 1% of GDP (2021 est.).
2022Economist and former international civil servant Abdalla HAMDOUK al-Kinani was selected to serve as the prime minister of a transitional government as the country prepared for elections in 2022.
2022HAMDOUK was briefly reinstated but resigned in January 2022.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 29.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 68.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 6.145 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, milling Agriculture: sugarcane, sorghum, milk, onions, groundnuts, sesame seeds, goat milk, bananas, mangoes/guavas, millet (2023) Electricity access: 63.2% (2022 est.).
2023Languages: Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur Religions: Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority Urban population: 36.3% of total population (2023).
2023Major urban areas: 6.344 million KHARTOUM (capital), 1.057 million Nyala (2023) low-income Sahel economy devastated by ongoing civil war; major impacts on rural income, basic commodity prices, industrial production, agricultural supply chain, communications and commerce; hyperinflation and currency depreciation worsening food access and humanitarian conditions Inflation: 138.8% (2022 est.).
2024Population: 50.5 million (2024 estimate).
