A contemporary perspective from Yale World Fellow Beatrice Mategua

Sudan (officially the Republic of the Sudan) is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World.  Its bordering neighbors include Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Chad and Libya.  The Nile divides the country east and west.

Sudan is a member of the United Nations. Its capital, Khartoum, serves as the political, cultural and commercial center of the nation. Among Sudan's population of 42 million people, Sunni islam is the official and largest religion, while Arabic and English are the official languages.

In recent years Sudan has been in the news because of civil unrest, war with Chad,  and charges of government-backed genocide.  A 2005 peace deal ended two decades of war and paved the way for 10,000 United Nations peacekeepers  to monitor and verify a Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The country is preparing for its first elections in more than 20 years, in April 2010.

Broadcast journalist Beatrice Mategua covers the North-South Peace deal in Sudan and has expertise on how conflict impacts communities. Mategua has been Producer/Head of Television for the United Nations Mission in Sudan since 2005. In this capacity she has covered the deployment of UN troops to Sudan, the return of displaced populations to their homes, the rehabilitation of communities directly affected by war, and other issues pertaining to the North-South conflict in Sudan. She has worked as a producer and reporter for Reuters Television, East Africa, and as a reporter for Kenya Television Network and other media. She is currently enjoying a stint as a Yale World Fellow here in New Haven.