With the proclamation of the Republic of South Sudan, does that now mean that there is a Republic of North Sudan? In Short, no the continuation state is known as the Republic of Sudan, but it does have a north and there is also a pretend state claiming the title.
To read if it is safe to travel to Sudan click here.
The split of the Sudan’s
Sudan was formally one country with a Muslim and Arab dominated north arguably subjecting the largely black and Christian south. This led to a brutal civil war, which saw autonomy granted in 2005 to to the south and eventual independence in 2011.
This saw Sudan drop from the biggest country in Africa to third, losing 35 percent of its territory and about 1/5th of its population.
The new state was named the Republic of South Sudan, while the Republic of Sudan retained all the memberships of the former state, much like Russia did after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Therefore Sudan is not a new state, so while there is a Republic of South Sudan, there is no Republic of North Sudan.
What about the Kingdom of North Sudan?
While we loath to give this gentleman any airtime there is an entity known as the Kingdom of North Sudan. In 2014 an American by the name of Mr Heaton traveled to Bir Tawil in order to make his daughter a princess by claiming what was and is (kinda) unclaimed.
To read the strange tale of Bir Tawil click here.
There were even talks of a Disney film, but alas his nation building came to nothing and merely exists as a webpage now. The people who do actually claim the area of Bir Tawil free to him as “that stupid man”.
To read about the Bir Tawil protectorate click here
Is Bir Tawil North Sudan?
If you’ve read the previous articles then you will know that Bir Tawil is technically at least claimed by no one, which on the face of it at least means that no it is not North Sudan, although if things were to really kick off one can assume the Sudanese military would not be too shy in entering.
According to Egypt at least the area does fall squarely as part of North Sudan rather than southern Egypt.
Traveling around North Sudan
If there is a Sudan, there is of course a north Sudan, which would include a number of major historical sites, such as the Pyramids of Meroe, as well as the Nubian lands and other places of intense historical interest.
There is also the far north of the country, which includes disputed areas, the border with Egypt, as well as the northernmost towns of Sudan.
These include Abu Hamad, the last stop before you get to Bir Tawil, but also a bunch of very weird train stations that are literally given numbers – Station Number 6 being one we visited for example!
There is also a bunch of pristine desert that we certainly utilise in northern Sudan for some top camping exploits.
Is the Halalib Triangle in North Sudan?
Both Egypt and Sudan claim the Halalib Triangle, with it essentially being a condominium between the two until the 90’s. Nowadays it is for all intents and purposes part of Egypt, although Sudan consider it the northernmost part of the country.
YPT are very much planning a trip here for 2024, so keep your eye on the website!
Crossing from north Sudan into Egypt
The main border crossing from Sudan to Egypt occurs at Wadi Haifa, which is also the train terminus, although alas the train pretty much does not run for passengers (currently).
It is though possible to cross here as a tourist and something we are actively looking into as we speak!
Want to see North Sudan for yourself? Check out our next tour.
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