More about our work in Sudan

Sudan

A family in Belil camp voluntarily returning to their home in northern Bahr Algazal

The BBC World Service Trust is focusing on emergency relief in Sudan. We are providing life-saving information to people displaced by the conflict in Darfur, and are also working to strengthen the country's media sector.

Sudan is the largest and one of the most diverse countries in Africa. It has vast tracts of agricultural land, plentiful water including the River Nile, a wealth of livestock and extensive mineral resources, including gold and oil.

Oil is Sudan's main export and production is increasing dramatically. Thanks to rising oil revenues, the Sudanese economy is booming at a growth rate of nearly 7%.

In January 2005, the 21-year civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the Animist and Christian south came to an end when the northern government and south Sudanese rebels signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

When I put on the radio people want to listen to Salaam ila Darfur first

Sheikh, South Darfur

But in Darfur, violence remains widespread, despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006.

The four-year conflict in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people. It has destroyed villages, crops, irrigation systems and livestock.

There were still 783,000 people living in camps in Darfur in December 2007.

Facts

  • 46.1% of children are enrolled in primary school
  • 40.7% of children under the age of 5 are underweight
  • 77.2% of 15-24 year olds are literate

Note: statistics on Sudan rarely include information from the South of the country.

Working in partnership

"When I put on the radio people want to listen to Salaam ila Darfur first. They listen to hear about the availability of health services and medicines in hospitals. If people can't listen to the radio, they come and ask me about what has been broadcast about security and peace."
Sheikh, South Darfur

Working in partnership with Sudanese media professionals and the World Service, our ' Salaam ila Darfur' programme broadcasts life-saving information to 6.5 million people in Darfur, including two million people living in the region's 85 camps for people displaced by the conflict. More

We are also beginning a country-wide project to work with Sudanese media professionals to prepare for the Sudan-wide elections in 2009. And, we are in the early stages of a initiative to provide information to people from south Sudan, who are displaced in the north, to help them to decide whether to return home.

Partners

We are working closely in Darfur with a range of non-governmental organisations and agencies, for example:

  • The International Committee of the Red Cross has supported us in the production of a series of programmes to promote understanding and take up of their family reunification services
  • MERLIN, UNICEF, Save the Children and many others have taken our producers on field trips to conduct research and record material in camps where they work, and their experts have provided interviews on specialist topics for inclusion in the programmes
  • International Medical Corps, Relief International, GOAL and CHF-International are playing a key role in helping to organise radio listening clubs
  • Representatives of over 30 NGOs have participated in in-depth interview research to help evaluate the role of humanitarian broadcasting