March 1996

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (400 seats; 275
elected by popular vote, 125 elected by a supraassembly of interest
groups known as the National Congress; members serve four-year terms)
elections : last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: NA; the March 1996 elections were held on a nonparty
basis; parties are banned in the new National Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

Political parties and leaders: none; banned following 30 June 1989
coup

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Islamic Front, Hasan
al-TURABI

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mahdi Ibrahim MOHAMED
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 through 8570
FAX : [1] (202) 667-2406
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: operations in Khartoum were
suspended in February 1996; Ambassador to Sudan Timothy M. CARNEY and
several members of the mission have relocated to Nairobi, Kenya and
operate out of the US Embassy there; the embassy is located at the
corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue; mailing address: P. O.
Box 30137, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (2) 334141; FAX:
[254] (2) 340838

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white,
and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview: Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political
instability, adverse weather, high inflation, a drop in remittances
from abroad, and counterproductive economic policies. The private
sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most
private industrial investment predating 1980. Agriculture employs 80%
of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items.
Sluggish economic performance over the past decade, attributable
largely to declining annual rainfall, has kept per capita income at
low levels. A large foreign debt and huge arrearages continue to cause
difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary Fund to