Protests are increasing in Sudan against the military that came to power through a coup in October, 2021. A few days ago, at least eight protesters, who carried out the largest protests for months in Khartoum and its twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri defying heavy security and a communication blackout, were shot dead by the security forces. Since the coup, there was a state of emergency for months which was withdrawn recently. Protests and reactions to protests from the security forces led to the death of more than one hindered since the coup which led to the suspension of the transitional government and the establishment of a power-sharing arrangement between civilian groups and the military leading to protests by civilians.
No doubt, protests are likely to increase in the future as the voices in favor of the return of power to political representatives are increasing in Sudan. A large portion of Sudanese were against the military regime since its beginning in the last year. Consequently, regular mass protests have been held in Sudan since the coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, though a portion of people supported the military’s coming to power immediately after the coup. But the situation worsened in the last month especially after the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was the civilian face of the military dominated transitional government during the past two years and was reinstated as Prime Minister based on a 14- point deal between the army chief and him after the October coup.
Of course, the coup has led to the deteriorated economic situation in Sudan, which was in the grip of a dire economic crisis before the coup. This is because there was a significant cut in foreign aid in the country because of the donor’s condemnation of military rule. Notably, the United States suspended $700m in assistance to Sudan after the coup. Deteriorated economic situation, along with some other reasons including political instability and sudden onset of disasters (floods) in 2020, further aggravated the humanitarian crisis which was initially started in 2003 because of the civil war in Sudan especially Darfur among the government, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equity Movement (JEM). Currently, more than one and a half million Sudanese face acute hunger and their number are likely to increase.
Thus, measures are needed to address the reasonable concerns of protesters. Indeed, it is desired that the representatives of the people come into power in Sudan. Of course, elections need to be held at the earliest possible time. But it is not yet an easier pathway since many political parties have refused to sit down with the military regime and negotiate a deal to nominate a transitional government to lead until national elections are held in July 2023. Moreover, the UN mediation efforts to reach a solution to the crisis were rejected by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), which led the anti-Omar Al Bashir Protests in 2019 paving the way for the military to overthrow the then President. The association criticizes the UN’s efforts to be failed to reach any solution and have a favorable attitude toward the Sudanese military regime.
No doubt, the current political crisis in Sudan is entirely homegrown. Thus, its solution needs to be ensured the involvement of Sudanese. In this respect, all the parties such as the military rulers, civilian representatives (SPA) and political leaders need to create a conducive ground for talks and find an acceptable elections-based solution with tripartite dialogue. Of course, the military regime needs to build trust among political parties and civilians. The recently undertaken UN talks that aimed to help Sudan resolve the political crisis since the coup should be continued. Of course, some countries especially the United States, Egypt and South Sudan may also play significant roles in reaching an acceptable solution.
