Sudan: Identity and conflict over natural resources

Resource-based conflict constitutes one of the most serious challenges facing many regions in Sudan. Traditionally, resource-based conflict has been represented by the age-old competition between farmers and pastoralists over water and land resources. Due to the protracted nature of conflicts over resources in Sudan, conflicts take on an ugly identity that is tearing the country apart. Conflicts over resources take place at community local levels, but they are often escalated by state policies. Munzoul A.M. Assal argues that understanding conflicts in Sudan requires that we pay more attention to the state and the institutional framework within which conflicts take place.