The Sudanese Diaspora Research Network (SDRN) is a scholarly network for researchers and academics interested in sharing knowledge about the Sudanese Diaspora. On this website, you can link up with existing networks; seek participants for new endeavours; post information about conferences and meetings; or share your academic work with other researchers.

BACKGROUND

For decades, Sudanese society – as is the case with other developing societies – has been dealing with challenges related to processes of postcolonial transformation. The country faced multiple challenges of nation building, economic progress, and establishing a viable consensual political system as well as the challenges of reaching an equitable distribution of wealth and power. In the process Sudan experienced civil wars, political instability, economic deterioration and social dislocation.

As a consequence Sudan has experienced considerable emigration – both internal and external – and diasporisation. Today, more than 6 million Sudanese are internally displaced, seeking refuge from the many conflict zones. In addition, UNHCR has registered over 500 000 refugees and asylum seekers who have managed to cross borders within Africa or emigrate to Western Europe, North America and Australia (figures by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and UNHCR 2007 statistics).
Other groups are labour migrants and expatriates in the oil producing countries (Gulf States and Libya). Yet others mostly from the educated groups and skilled workers landed in various parts of the globe as political exiles, professional expatriates or other categories of migrants.

The Sudanese Diaspora is wide and far reaching. Today there are diasporic communities on all five continents, from large cities to rural areas. Their reasons for travelling are many, their adaptive challenges abroad have been plentiful and their links to their home country varies.