Government Instability (Sudan)

​Government Instability in Africa

By Emily Thomas

What is Government Stability?

Read this passage about government stability:

A stable government creates laws, provides services, and protects people. When a government is unstable, it means leaders cannot control the country, stop violence, or provide basic needs. Wars, corruption, and weak leadership often cause instability. When this happens, people suffer—especially in education, health, and food supply.

Multiple Choice

What does it mean when a government is unstable?

• A government is unstable when it has a strong and consistent leadership.
• A government is unstable when it maintains a high level of public trust.
• A government is unstable when it has a surplus of resources and wealth.
• A government is unstable when it faces frequent changes in leadership or policy, leading to uncertainty and potential conflict.

Sudan

Sudan has faced many years of civil war and political conflict. In 2019, the government was overthrown. Since then, fighting between rival military groups has made life very hard for regular people.

Education Problems:
Schools often close because it is unsafe for children to travel or because teachers do not get paid. Many schools were damaged or destroyed during fighting. As a result, millions of children in Sudan cannot go to school. Some have missed years of learning.

Multiple Choice

How does government instability affect education in Sudan?

• Government instability improves education by increasing funding and resources.
• Government instability negatively impacts education in Sudan because it is dangerous for students to travel to school. teachers aren't paid, and schools are damaged from war.

Medicine and Healthcare Problems:

Hospitals do not have enough doctors or medicine. When fighting happens near hospitals, doctors flee for safety. Vaccines and medicines are hard to deliver because roads are blocked or dangerous. Diseases like measles and cholera spread easily when people cannot get medical care or clean water.

Multiple Choice

What happens to hospitals when there is fighting near them?

• Hospitals may be damaged, doctors flee for safety, vaccines/medicines can't be delivered because of road blocks

• Hospitals become more efficient and provide better care during conflicts.

Food Problems:

Farmers cannot grow crops because their land is unsafe or destroyed. Trucks carrying food are sometimes stolen or stopped by armed groups. This leads to famine, which means extreme lack of food. Children suffer the most because they need healthy food to grow.

Open Ended

Define famine in your own words

Why Does it Matter?

When a country does not have a strong and stable government, everything else falls apart. Children cannot go to school, people get sick and die from preventable diseases, and families go hungry. Government instability does not just affect politics—it affects everyday life for millions of people.

​Cause	​Effect
​Civil War in Sudan	​The government becomes unstable; schools and hospitals close
​Doctors leave hospitals	​People cannot get medical care; diseases spread easily
​ Armed groups block food trucks	​Food cannot reach people; famine and hunger increases

Poll

Which problem - lack of education, medicine, or food - do you think is the hardest to fix? (POLL - THERE IS NO WRONG ANSWER)

• Lack of education

• Lack of medicine

• Lack of food

Open Ended

Imagine you are in charge of Sudan. You are given $5 million dollars to help rebuild the country. How will you help? You are given 20 minutes to brainstorm, discuss, and write.

Hint: Think about how you will help people get food, medicine, and education.