Polarisation in Sudan: Findings from a Perception Survey

Polarisation has become a defining and disruptive feature of Sudan’s political and social landscape. Rooted in decades of exclusionary governance and identity-based divides, and intensified by the war that began in April 2023, it now shapes daily life, undermines trust, and complicates prospects for peace.

Drawing on a perception survey carried out by IFIT’s Sudan Brain Trust and supported by Northeastern University’s Civic A.I. Lab, this report offers a glimpse at how polarisation has come to penetrate ordinary life in Sudan, while also highlighting some pathways out. The insights from the survey will now inform planned new phases of IFIT work in Sudan, including 1) focus group discussions with diverse communities in Sudan to validate and contextualise the initial findings and 2) the creation of a Sudan-specific depolarisation toolkit.

The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17733286