Blue Nile

Blue Nile , called Central from 1991 until 1994, is one of the fifteen states of the Republic of Sudan. It was established by presidential decree nº 3 in 1992 and is named after the Blue Nile River. It has an area of 45,844 km² and an estimated population of 1,193,293. The Central Bureau of Statistics quoted the population at 832,112 in the 2006 census. Ad-Damazin is the capital of the state. The state of Blue Nile is home to the Roseires Dam, the main source of hydroelectric power in Sudan until the completion of the Merowe Dam in 2010.

The region is host to around forty different ethnic groups. Its economic activity is based upon agriculture and livestock and increasing mineral exploitation.

In 2011, residents of Blue Nile were scheduled to hold ill-defined "popular consultations" to determine the constitutional future of the state, per the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Instead, a dispute over the rightful government of the state, and the determination of Omar al-Bashir to eradicate the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, have led to a renewed insurgency, a refugee crisis. It appears that the consultations have been postponed indefinitely.