Througth its history Sudan has been separated between its Arab heritage, identified with northern Sudan, and its African heritages to the south. The two groups are separated along linguistic, religious, racial, and economic lines, and the cleavage has generated ethnic tensions and clashes. Moreover, the geographical isolation of Sudan's southern African peoples has prevented them from participating fully in the nation's political, economic, and social life. Imperial Britain acknowledged the north-south division by establishing separate administrations for the two regions. Independent Sudan further reinforced this cleavage by treating African southerners as a minority group.

Lastly, Sudan's postfreedom history has been shaped largely by the southern civil war. This conflict has retarded the nation's social and economic development, promoted political instability, and led to an endless cycle of weak and ineffective military and civilian governments. The conflict appeared likely to continue to affect Sudan's people and institutions for the rest of the twentieth century.