Where Sudan Is Booming

Sudan is infamously mired in civil conflict in its western region of Darfur. But for nearly two years now, the country's 10 southern provinces have begun to emerge from their own 20-year war with the central government in Khartoum that left the territory physically ravaged but in possession of oil, minerals, wildlife and forests. With its capital in the city of Juba, south Sudan, a semi-autonomous region with 6 million residents, now has an annual budget of $1.2 billion and is in possession of most of Sudan's oil reserves. Foreign investors are clamoring to get in. But oil is both promise and danger; Khartoum may not be willing to release its grip on such a resource-rich region. A few weeks ago, Juba's representatives walked out of the national coalition government over the issue of the control of shared oil revenues. While... [read full story]