Migration in the Sudan during the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium (1898-1955)

Abstract

This paper argues that migration patterns during the Condominium were a continuation of processes already discernible during the 19th century, and that these have gained further momentum since independence. Four main migratory processes are considered: rural to urban migration and the growth of urban primacy; inter-regional movements leading to ethnic mixing in urban and rural areas; easterly migration of people from western Sudan and West Africa; and nomadism with its impact on sedentary peoples. In the aftermath of the Angl-Egyptian conquest in 1898 these processes were seemingly in reverse. The population of Omdurman dropped to 40 000. There was migration westwards and southwards as tribes returned to their former homeland areas and way of life, leading to a resurgence of nomadic activity and to a reversal in the process of ethnic mixing. However, this was a purely temporary phase. By 1955, the old migratory patterns had long since resurfaced. These processes are reviewed in the light of the results of...