South Kordofan (Arabic: جنوب كردفان Ǧanūb Kurdufān) is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km and an estimated population of approximately 2,107,623 people (2018 est). Kaduqli is the capital of the state. It is centered on the Nuba Mountains. At one time it was supposed that South Kordofan was the only state in (North) Sudan suitable for producing oil, but oil has also been discovered in neighboring White Nile State in larger quantities.
Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, residents of South Kordofan were to hold popular consultations in 2011 to determine the constitutional future of the state. However, South Kordofan governor Ahmed Haroun suspended the process, and violence followed. Haroun had previously been charged with war crimes against civilians and crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
