Native administration is the formal institution of traditional systems of governance used in Sudan. This form of administration is primarily used in rural areas, especially among nomadic or semi-nomadic people. Through this system, various formal powers are given to traditional leaders, complementing existing informal influence among their communities, and sometimes relatively large economic power.
The formal native administration system was adapted from pre-existing practices by the British administrators of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. This was part of a policy of indirect rule, which was considered cheaper and more effective than direct administrative control. The system was maintained following independence, although it has become weaker over time as various governments brought previously tribal responsibilities into central government control.
The system has faced criticism since the colonial period, being seen as a tool of divide and rule then, and as an impediment to national unity since. However, its usefulness in providing effective administration in rural areas, as well as its link to political popularity, has led it to be co-opted in varying forms by successive Sudanese administrations. Systems based on native administration have in some cases been established in urban areas, to manage the influx of internally displaced people.