Blue Nile State

Blue Nile State
ولاية النيل الأزرق
Wilāyat an-Nīl al-Azraq
State
Flag of Blue Nile State
Flag
Official seal of Blue Nile State
Seal
Location in Sudan.
Location in Sudan.
Coordinates: 11°16′N 34°4′E / 11.267°N 34.067°E / 11.267; 34.067
Country Sudan
RegionBlue Nile Province
CapitalAd-Damazin
Government
 • GovernorAhmed al-Omda
Area
 • Total
45,844 km2 (17,700 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total
1,108,391[1]
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)
HDI (2017)0.416[2]
low

Blue Nile State (Arabic: ولاية النيل الأزرق Wilāyat an-Nīl al-ʾAzraq) is one of the eighteen states of the Republic of the Sudan. It was established by presidential decree nº 3 in 1992 and it is named after the Blue Nile River.

The region is host to around forty different ethnic groups. Its economic activity is based on agriculture and livestock and increasing mineral exploitation.

History

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In 2011, residents of Blue Nile were scheduled to hold ill-defined "popular consultations" to determine the constitutional future of the state, per the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Instead, a dispute over the rightful government of the state, and the determination of Omar al-Bashir to eradicate the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North, led to a renewed nine-year conflict between government forces and the Sudan Revolutionary Front as well as contributing to a refugee crisis.[3][4] The conflict finally came to an end in 2020 after a peace agreement was signed and the government to not discriminate based on ethnicity or religion.[5][6] Further clashes in the state broke out in 2022 between the Hausa people and Funj and Berta peoples over land disputes which led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians.[7]

Administration

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The State is sub-divided into six districts (with 2006 Census populations shown hereafter):

State Governors

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[10]

Geography

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Blue Nile state has an area of 45,844 km2 and an estimated population of 1,193,293. The Central Bureau of Statistics quoted the population at 832,112 in the 2006 census. Ad-Damazin is the capital of the state. The state of Blue Nile is home to the Roseires Dam, the main source of hydroelectric power in Sudan until the completion of the Merowe Dam in 2010.

Languages

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The following languages are spoken in Blue Nile state according to Ethnologue.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2023-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  3. ^ Boswell, Alan (2 September 2011). "Sudan's Conflict Spreads: Is This the Start of a New Civil War?". Time. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  4. ^ Maasho, Aaron (14 October 2011). "Sudan's Blue Nile conflict forces painful return to Ethiopia". Reuters Africa. Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Sudan signs landmark peace deal with rebel alliance". DW. 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. ^ Michael Atit (4 September 2020). "Sudan's Government Agrees to Separate Religion and State". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  7. ^ SudanTribune (2023-01-16). "Blue Nile tribal groups agree to end bloody violence". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  8. ^ "Sudan appoints new governor in Blue Nile". www.occasionalwitness.com. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  9. ^ "Sudan's prime minister appoints 3 state governors in Darfur, Blue Nile". June 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "States of the Sudan since 1991". WorldStatesmen.org.
  11. ^ Languages of Sudan. Ethnologue, 22nd edition.
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