; note - March 1996 elections
were held on a nonparty basis and parties are to be banned in the
new National Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

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

Other political or pressure groups: 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 US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Mahdi IBRAHIM
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 through 8570
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406

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

Economy
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Economic 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
reduced levels of per capita income and consumption. A large foreign
debt and huge arrearages continue to cause difficulties. In 1990 the
International Monetary Fund took the unusual step of declaring Sudan
noncooperative because of its nonpayment of arrearages to the Fund.
After Sudan backtracked on promised reforms in 1992-93, the IMF
threatened to expel Sudan from the Fund. To avoid expulsion,
Khartoum agreed to