Arab Spring 2.0 : Sudan Version
As it happens every so often in Africa, a military coup supported by the majority of a country’s population manages to overthrow a dictatorial regime. The military, unsurprisingly, refuses to uphold democratic ideals and plans to drown out all protests, killing hundreds in the process. A tale as old as time, currently being told in Sudan.
The revolution:
Public distrust in Sudan’s long-term President, Omar al-Bashir had been brewing for a long time mostly due to the cash-strapped economy and the inflation rate of 70%. Things came to a head in 2018, when Bashir imposed emergency austerity measures and a steep currency devaluation. The root cause of Sudan’s economic collapse was the secession of South Sudan back in 2011, which resulted in the loss of three-quarters of Sudan’s oil revenue.
In December 2018, the capital city of Khartoum erupted in protests over the shortage of essential goods and the cash crisis. The protestors demanded the removal of al-Bashir and his 30-yr old regime. The demonstrations reached a crescendo on 6th April 2019, when demonstrators occupied the square in front of the military’s headquarters to demand that the army force the president out.
Five days later, the military announced that the president had been overthrown.
The agreement:
A council of generals, known as Transitional Military Council (TMC), was appointed on April 11 to act as an Interim Government until General elections could be held. The opposition party (the one supporting the protests) and the military agreed to a 3-year transition period to a civilian rule. This was done because the highly corrupt government of al-Bashir had to be dismantled to allow free and fair elections.
However, on June 3rd, TMC announced that all agreements had been scraped and the country would be undergoing general elections within nine months. Elections within such short notice would allow the former government to return to power easily with the corrupt machinery unreplaced.
The aftermath:
After the breakdown of talks with the TMC, protestors took to streets again on June 5th. Since then, the military has killed over 118 people. Hundreds more have been arrested, beaten and raped by the paramilitary officials. Reportedly, the dead bodies are being mutilated and disposed of in the Nile. Internet services have been shut off for over a week now.
The brave-hearted Sudanese people will continue to protest against the gross negligence of human rights, but the state-mandated internet ban has cut off their voices from the rest of the world.
