Legal System of Sudan

Sudan is located in Africa. It is geographically situated in north-eastern africa, bordering the red sea, between egypt and eritrea. The country achieved independence on 1 january 1956 (from egypt and the uk). The capital is Khartoum.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: Sovereign Council Chair and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abd-al-Fattah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman (since 11 November 2021) Head of Government: Sovereign Council Chair and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abd-al-Fattah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman (since 11 November 2021) Cabinet: the military forced most members of the Council of Ministers out of office in 2021; a handful of ministers appointed by former armed opposition groups were allowed to retain their posts; at present, most of the members of the Council are appointed senior civil servants serving in an acting-minister capacity Administrative Divisions: 18 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Blue Nile, Central Darfur, East Darfur, Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala, Khartoum, North Darfur, North Kordofan, Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, West Kordofan, White Nile National Holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956) Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Sudan is described as mixed system of Islamic law and English common law International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2008

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1973, 1998, 2005 (interim constitution, which was suspended in April 2019); latest initial draft completed by Transitional Military Council in May 2019; revised draft known as the “Draft Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period,” or “2019 Constitutional Declaration” was signed by the Council and opposition coalition on 4 August 2019

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): National Supreme Court (consists of 70 judges organized into panels of 3 judges and includes 4 circuits that operate outside the capital); a Constitutional Court was required in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration, but it has yet to be implemented Judge Selection: National Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges selected by the Supreme Judicial Council Subordinate Courts: Court of Appeal; other national courts; public courts; district, town, and rural courts

Legislative Branch

Note: note:  the Parliament of Sudan was dissolved after a coup in April 2019; the August 2019 Constitutional Declaration established Sudan’s transitional government; a Transitional Legislative Council (TLC) was to have served as the national legislature during the transitional period until elections could be held, but the TLC has not been created

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: the father must be a citizen of Sudan Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Long referred to as Nubia, modern-day Sudan was the site of the Kingdom of Kerma (ca. 2500-1500 B.C.) until it was absorbed into the New Kingdom of Egypt. By the 11th century B.C., the Kingdom of Kush gained independence from Egypt; it lasted in various forms until the middle of the 4th century A.D. After the fall of Kush, the Nubians formed three Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia, with the latter two enduring until around 1500.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Sudan based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.