By Abed Bsat | Staff Writer
Sudan has fallen into chaos following the military’s dissolution of the country’s power-sharing government and imposed a state of emergency on Monday 25th of October. The move has dashed hopes for a smooth transfer of power after former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019.
Over the past three decades, Sudan was brutally ruled by former military officer Omar Al-Bashir. The military deposed Bashir, but mass street demonstrations demanding civilian rule forced the military to negotiate a plan to transition to a democratic government. The country is currently supposed to be in that transition, with civilian and military leaders working together on a joint committee known as the Sovereign Council to rule the country, but the two parties have been publicly at odds.
Military leaders in the transitional government have demanded reforms from their civilian counterparts and called for the cabinet to be replaced. This was dismissed as a power grab by civilian leaders. Since 2019, there have been multiple unsuccessful coups, the most recent of which occurred just last month. Prime Minister (PM) Abdallah Hamdok, the highest civilian figure, has accused Bashir loyalists- many of whom are believed to be embedded in the military, security agencies, and other state institutions. Pro-military demonstrators accused the administration of failing to turn around the country’s fortunes.
According to a source close to Sudan’s Prime Minister Office and the military, PM Hamdok and his wife, as well as several government ministers and officials, were held on Monday and later restored to their residence on Tuesday.
Tensions had risen after certain lawmakers, particularly Hamdok, advocated for a full transfer to civilian rule by November 17, as stipulated in the original transitional accord. Last month, a military coup ascribed to Bashir’s forces failed, resulting in the arrest of the majority of the officers involved. Military leaders have been demanding revisions to the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) alliance and the replacement of the government in the weeks since. Civilian leaders accused them of usurping power. Thousands of Sudanese protestors flocked to the streets last Thursday, demanding that the 2019 transition agreement be followed and an elected government be established. According to the Sudanese Ministry of Information, supporters of civilian rule have also announced a program of civil disobedience and a strike in response to the military takeover.
Protestors are currently split into two categories: those who support the military and those who are in favor of a transition to civilian rule. Protesters in favor of a military-led government had staged a sit-in outside Khartoum’s presidential palace for over a week, lamenting rising living costs and an economic situation they claim is worse now than under former dictator Omar al-Bashir. On the other hand, pro-civil rule protests have closed the streets of Khartoum and have continuously called for the transition to a democratic and civilian government as originally planned to take place on November 17.
How has the international community reacted to the coup? Starting with the United Nations, Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the coup and called for the release of the prime minister and other officials. He added that the United Nations would “continue to stand” with the people of Sudan. Biden’s administration released a press briefing commenting that his administration was “deeply alarmed” by the events that were unfolding in Sudan. Additionally, the United Kingdom called the coup an “unacceptable betrayal of the Sudanese people.”
Many are currently wondering what would happen to the promised financial assistance that was bound to arrive from the United States in the upcoming weeks. Initially, the US removed Sudan from its terror list and supported them with a 50 billion dollar debt relief package, but after the recent turn of events, the Biden administration has paused $700 million in emergency assistance to Sudan intended to support the democratic transition, which was crucial for the country to get back on its feet with the ongoing economic crisis.
Protests are still ongoing in the streets of Khartoum, but will they finally lead to a democratically elected government that the people of Sudan have longed for over the past three decades or will the stagers of this coup come out on top & reinstate Omar Al-Basheer as president again? The future remains unknown as the events have just begun to unfold.