Rewind to 2018. The streets of several Sudanese cities were full of people. Journalists referred to the simple explanation for the uprising: the rising bread prices. But Sudan, the country that has one foot in Africa and one foot in the Arab world, is far more complicated than that. Enormous crowds were out in the streets shouting for freedom and democracy. Photo: ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP The people cast the dictator Sudan was in deep economic trouble five years ago and the people were already about to have enough. Then bread prices went up. It was the straw that made it overflow. The country’s dictator, Omar al-Bashir, had acquired many powerful enemies and his internal support was not as strong as it had long been. The fact that he had waged war in both South Sudan and Darfur did not help Sudan’s economy or reputation. Sudan’s economy had been hit hard by numerous sanctions and international sanctions. And the people were the ones who paid the highest price. Women have no place among Sudan’s leaders, but they have been central to the many demonstrations in recent years. Photo: OZAN KOSE / AFP So when the authorities reduced support for bread and fuel, so that the prices shot up, the people took to the streets. It was the beginning of the end for dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted shortly afterwards. Created hope for democracy The demonstrations in Sudan created optimism. “The Nubian queen”, 22-year-old Alaa Salah, became a world-renowned symbol of women’s role in the democratic uprising. She was called the Nubian Queen, the young lady who proclaimed poems during the demonstrations in 2018, and who became a Sudanese symbol of peace. Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP And the image of the young protester who proclaims poetry while people around him shine a light on him with their mobile phones was voted the world’s best press photo in 2020. Hope was high. This year’s press photo in 2020 gave hope for democracy in Sudan. The many young protesters are still fighting for democracy. Photo: YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP Journalists around the world made the headlines they had longed to make. Headlines about hope, democracy and progress. But those who know Sudan knew better. And they have been right. Should actually cooperate, but now they are at war in Sudan, for the last four years we have been in a process against civilian rule. It has been slow, and there have been many problems. Part of the process is that the soldiers in the powerful paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are to be incorporated into the Sudanese army. It is this process that has now gone quite smoothly. RSF has attacked several military targets in Sudan today. Or was it the Sudanese army that first attacked the RSF? The two parties disagree about exactly who is to blame. But regardless of who is to blame, the result is the same for the people of Sudan: Another round of shootings, power struggles and military groups that will not let go of their hands on the wheel. Been waiting for it to hit Today’s violent escalation has actually been waiting for a while. The political process that will lead to civilian rule in Sudan is at a standstill. Deadlines have been broken, the framework agreement has not been followed up. The Sudan experts have only been waiting for trouble. Because when talks and negotiations stop, and points of contention multiply, then it usually ends in armed conflict in a country as thoroughly militarized as Sudan. Facing the outside world, most actors have agreed that Sudan should have a civilian government. The military leaders have realized that a civilian government can be good, because Sudan will then have access to money from the part of the world that has previously stopped the money flows. But for Sudan’s generals, it has been so important that they themselves have access to cash flows. Because they have set themselves on fire for the power they have acquired. Sudan’s gold generates billions in revenue. Especially after it has been smuggled into Dubai and other places in the Middle East. And the generals did not let go of their gold card without getting something in return. And this is just some of everything that has led to them shooting at each other. Distribution of power between powerful people is difficult. And when the powerful people are also experts in war, it can get bloody. The demonstrations in Sudan have continued for four years, and the democratization process is still nowhere near its goal. Photo: EBRAHIM HAMID / AFP Many countries will influence It is not just the military leaders who are arguing. There is also trouble on the civil side. The civilian leaders enjoy the support of large sections of the population, the UN and a number of Western countries. But it is not clear to them either which path Sudan will take going forward. A good part of the reason for all these different interests and tug of war is the world’s interference in Sudan. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are all deeply involved in Sudan, and want to influence which direction the country will take. They support various actors, both with weapons and money. International major powers such as Russia and the USA also have interests in the African superpower Sudan, and both the UN and the African Union are putting pressure on it with their views. Photo: ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP The dispute at the crossroads All the various actors have in common that they want stability in Sudan. But at the same time they point in different directions. Sudan has been at a crossroads for four years. And there they have become a permanent obstacle. They have quarreled, while at the same time being pulled in different directions. Now the country may be on the brink of a civil war. But Sudan can also manage to land on two legs, if only the leaders will. In recent days, the leaders have said that they are willing to discuss together and find a solution to the problem that has arisen recently. But after today’s violent escalation, the use of words has really hardened, and there is little sign of reconciliation now. But even if Sudan’s generals would like to dispute their power, they know that the people of Sudan also have great power. And that is where the hope lies. Among the ordinary Sudanese who were out on the streets in 2018 and made great progress. They haven’t given up. They have kept up the protests, right up to this day. The dream of a people’s government lives on in Sudan, even when the country’s military is shooting at each other. The powerful leaders who are still stuck at the crossroads and arguing know this.
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Are Sudan’s hopes for democracy dashed right now? – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
