Country profile: Sudan

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Climate:

tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

Terrain:

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north

Size:

2505810 sq. km total (Land area: 2376000 sq. km Water area: 129810 sq.km)

Population:

40,218,455 (July 2008 est.)

Languages:

Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English. note: program of "Arabization" in process

Government:

Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA);

Capital city:

Khartoum

Legal system:

based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991

Currency:

Sudanese pounds (SDG)

Licensing:

Country profile

Sudan is developing its significant hydrocarbon resources. The country’s oil exports, which have increased sharply since the completion of a major oil-export pipeline in 1999, account for 70 percent of total export revenues. Additional growth in Sudan’s hydrocarbon sector will likely occur with a refurbished infrastructure, which has seen little improvement since the beginning of the country’s civil conflicts in 1955. As of January 2007, according to the Sudanese Minister of State for Energy and Mines, Sudan is considering joining the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at some point in the future. In January 2005, the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the south signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended 21-years of civil war.

Prior to the signing, several important issues were agreed upon by the two parties including the sharing of oil revenues (50:50). Also in 2005, President Bashir formed a border commission tasked with defining the border between northern and southern Sudan, in accordance to the CPA. Much of Sudan’s oil producing region lies in the disputed border area. In 2004, Sudan’s energy consumption mix was dominated by oil (93 percent), with the remainder coming from hydroelectricity (7 percent). Natural gas, coal, nuclear and other renewables are currently not part of the country’s energy consumption mix. Between 1984-2004, the share of oil in Sudan’s energy mix increased from 86 percent to 93 percent. Hydroelectricity consumption experienced a decrease, during the same time period, from 14 percent to 7 percent.

Energy production and consumption

Oil

Gas

Production:

397,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Consumption:

79,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Exports:

279,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Imports:

7,945 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Reserves:

6 billion bbl (2007 est.)

Major fields:

Sudan - recent news

17 Oct 22	Sudan: Wildcat Petroleum signs MOU with Government of Sudan Wildcat Petroleum has signed an MOU to work in collaboration with the Sudanese Oil Ministry to advance the development and commercial exploitation of hydrocarbon assets in Sudan. The ultimate aim is to increase overall oil production by 100,000 barrels per day by the development of Blocks 1, 3, 4 & 5.
03 Oct 22	Sudan: Searcher rectifies Sudan 2D as 3D seismic campaign advances Searcher, a leading service provider of global multi-client geoscience data, has announced its Sudan 2D Rectified Seismic Dataset, in cooperation with the Sudan Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. The rectified dataset reveals a stunning array of super-giant syn-rift plays in the pre-salt, capped by halite walls and canopies lying between mini-basins which offer a proven post-salt fairway.
15 Nov 21	Sudan: Lundin Energy challenges the legal basis of Swedish Prosecution Authority’s criminal charges in relation to Company’s past operations in Sudan Lundin Energy has further considered the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s criminal charges against Ian H. Lundin and Alex Schneiter for complicity in crimes against international law, gross crime, following the Company’s initial announcement on 11 November 2021. The Company has published a summary of its position on the indictment from its defence counsel to provide further reassurance as to the defence.
11 Nov 21	Sudan: Swedish Prosecution Authority brings charges in relation to Lundin Energy's past operations in Sudan Lundin Energy has announced that the Swedish Prosecution Authority has brought criminal charges against Chairman of the Board Ian H. Lundin and Director Alex Schneiter in relation to past operations in Sudan from 1999-2003 and 2000-2003, respectively.
04 Nov 18	Sudan: Lundin Petroleum faces potential corporate fine and forfeiture of economic benefits in relation to past operations in Sudan Lundin Petroleum has received notification from the Swedish Prosecution Authority that the Company may be liable to a corporate fine and forfeiture of economic benefits in connection with the preliminary investigation into past operations in Sudan from 1997 to 2003.