Possible Clues:

• Sand possibly holds uranium in this Arab country
• Short day in warmer African country
• Darfur's country
• Country that lost a quarter of its territory in 2011
• African country that split in 2011
• Eritrea neighbor
• African nation with a ''South'' namesake
• Rising American prosecutor joining northern state
• Backed America and much of European country
• Africa’s largest country until 2011