Sudan’s peripheries have been consistently marginalised since the country’s independence, with
power structures in both the centre and periphery collaborating to preserve elite interests.
Shortly after the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, what remained of the Sudanese state relocated
to Port Sudan from Khartoum. Hosting the seat of government has added new layers of complexity to eastern Sudan’s relationship with the centre. The administrative and demographic pressures of turning a mid-sized port city into a national capital has stretched Port Sudan’s infrastructure to the limit, exacerbating its inhabitants’ economic woes.
This paper explores the implications of the shift from Khartoum to Port Sudan in terms of Sudan’s
geographical inequalities and the historical dynamics underlying them. More specifically, it asks whether this unprecedented move heralds a realignment – or at least readjustment – in the spatial balance of resource control, power, and governance.
An Arabic translation of this report’s executive summary is available here.