Page "Transport in Sudan" Paragraph 12

In 1990, Sudan's road system totaled between 20, 000 and 25, 000 kilometers, comprising an extremely sparse network for the size of the country.

Asphalted all-weather roads, excluding paved streets in cities and towns, amounted to roughly 3, 000 to 3, 500 kilometers, of which the Khartoum-Port Sudan road accounted for almost 1, 200 kilometers.

There were between 3, 000 and 4, 000 kilometers of gravel roads located mostly in the southern region where lateritic road-building materials were abundant.

In general, these roads were usable all year round, although travel might be interrupted at times during the rainy season.

Most of the gravel roads in southern Sudan have become unusable after being heavily mined by the insurgent southern forces of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army ( SPLA ).

The remaining roads were little more than fair-weather earth and sand tracks.

Those in the clayey soil of eastern Sudan, a region of great economic importance, were impassable for several months during the rains.

Even in the dry season, earthen roads in the sandy soils found in various parts of the country were generally usable only by motor vehicles equipped with special tires.