Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—Revolutionary Command
Council Chairman and Prime Minister Brig. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989);
Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister
Brig. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 9 July 1989)
Political parties and leaders: none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Member of: ACP, AfDB, APC, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdallah Ahmad ABDALLAH; Chancery at 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 338-8565 through 8570; there is a Sudanese Consulate General in New York; US—Ambassador James CHEEK; Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO New York 09668); telephone 74700 or 75680, 74611
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
- Economy Overview: Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. The economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80% of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items. A high foreign debt and arrearages of about $13 billion continue to cause difficulties. Since 1979 the International Monetary Fund has provided assistance and has forced Sudan to make economic reforms aimed at improving the performance of the economy.
GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $340 (FY87); real growth rate 7.0%
(FY89 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 70% (FY89)