The Sudan’s dimensions: A country divided by ethnicity and religion

Abstract

The words ethnic group and religion have been greatly controversial in world politics and especially in
the developing world. This has been evidenced in the world that the word ethnic group and religion
have created civil unrests within many countries and not just on the African Continent. This means that
the communities which based their lives on ethnic groups have a different view of the term than the
non-ethnic group communities. This is due to the fact that ethnic group and religion are perceived to be
a legitimate cause for the group struggles to gain power or to be recognized. Therefore, this article
analyzes the significance of ethnic group and religion involvement in causing conflicts in Sudan. It
should be noted that many people used the term ethnic group and religion to achieve their common
interests when they deemed that these terms would draw more support within their groups when using
ethnic group and religion as a bottom line of their gains in national or local politics.

Key words: Sudan’s dimensions, case study analyses, Darfur - and Northern Sudan’s relationships, Southernand Northern Sudan’s relationships, Sudan’s ethnic vs. religion relationships.