The Sudan Handbook

fRom thE CountRy to thE toWn 123

were also affected by fighting. People moved as IDPs from these areas to

the central parts of Sudan.

Southern Sudan is a partial exception to the rule of no return that

applies to most migrants. Since the end of the war in the south there has

been a significant returnee population there. The overwhelming majority

of southerners in the north during the civil war and beyond moved to

major towns and cities. Khartoum, Shendi, Karima, Port Sudan, El-Fasher

and El-Obeid are all towns where communities of southerners devel-

oped over three decades. While first generation migrants or IDPs were

farmers, pastoralists or fishermen, their children grew up in an urban

environment and hence acquired skills that cannot be used for farming

or other traditional livelihoods strategies. For this reason, instead of

returning to rural areas in southern Sudan, returnees prefer to relocate

to towns like Juba, Wau or Malakal.

More recently, the war in Darfur has produced large-scale movement

from rural areas to displaced camps within the three Darfur states. The

towns of Nyala and El-Fasher are growing fast. In 2008, the population

of El-Fasher was over half a million, boosted by the presence of three

major IDP camps: Abushouk, Zamzam and Al-Salam.

While Greater Khartoum is undoubtedly the first city of the Sudan,

Eastern Sudan is – surprisingly – probably the most urbanized part of

the country. The urban population in Red Sea State doubled in ten years

between 1993 and 2003. Sixty per cent of its population are now recorded

as living in towns, mostly Port Sudan, but also Sinkat and Tokar. The

increase in the urban population of Red Sea State is, again, the result of

rural-urban migration caused by the deterioration of living conditions

in the countryside. And the same demographic and economic structures

have affected the region as other drought-stricken areas.

Pros and Cons of Migration

There is a positive side to migration. It may offer better work and educa-

tional opportunities, moving labour resources to areas where they are

The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors most needed. Rural-urban migration is a dynamic process, and it can

(www.riftvalley.net).