We've not talked much about Sudan, but in light of the recent BBS thread about Luol Deng and the Sudanese national anthem, it might be of some use to re-acquaint ourselves with Luol's home country.
One should remember that Aldo Deng, Luol's father, was a member of parliament and rose to be Minister of Transportation, but in the coup of 1989, his family was forced to flee first to Egypt, and then to London. Aldo was arrested and jailed for six months before being sent into exile. The current head of state is President Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, who was "elected" in 1993 after leading the coup. The government is allied with the National Congress Party, formerly the National Islamic Front, and the legal system is based on Islamic law.
Currently, the government is sponsoring ethnic cleansing of black Sudanese, using Janjaweed raiders. The raiders will not only attack Sudanese in Sudan, but are known for invading neighboring countries like Chad to pursue Sudanese refugees. The UN's expert on Sudan, Mukesh Kapili, compares the ethnic cleansing to that done in Rwanda in 1994.
Aldo Deng is a member of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, and hopes to return someday.
The Sudanese situation is a complicated, and may be difficult for people not involved to understand. Like many people, we hope Sudan reaches a peaceful resolution to their problems, and that someday, Luol, Aldo, and the many refugees can return home without fear of attack or reprisals.
Here are some links about Sudan: