What has been
going on in Sudan?
The
protest started in December 2018 against soaring prices of bread in Sudan.
There were earlier protests in Sudan under the rule of a dictator – Omar -al-
Bashir. However, during 2019, the protest turned so dominant that protesters
demanded him to step down.
More
encouragement protesters have obtained from an international event where
another dictator – Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down after ruling Algeria for
20 years on April 3rd 2019.
There
was a march to the gates of Mr. Bashir’s home in the e headquarters of the Army.
The nationwide protest was so forceful that the Army has to remove the President Omar-al-Bashir. There have to be fresh elections, and till then the head of Military Council – Awad Ibn Ouf will rule the country.
Mr. Bashir ruled the country for three decades and resigning was not easy for either side. He initially was brutal against the protestors but that added fuel to the fire. The Public became angrier until the Sudanese Army intervened and forced Mr. Bashir to step down from the post of President.
Who is Omar-al- Bashir?
Omar
– al Bashir was the president of Sudan till the Sudanese Army removed him in 2019.
He has an image of a dictator, and an anti – government protest spread across
the country demanding his resignation.
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Photo Credit- Wikipedia
Omar - Al Bashir
|
How Did Bashir gain the Power
in Sudan?
Mr.
Bashir was a colonel in the Sudanese Army.
He captured power in 1989 through a bloodless coup, has largely been
seen as a survivor.
Why did Mr. Bashir become
controversial?
Immediately after assuming power in Sudan, he
suspended political parties, restricted independent media, and carried out a
purge against his political rivals. Not only that he introduced an Islamic
legal code and eventually designated himself as the absolute ruler of the
country with vast powers. However, there were five main causes to connect him
in to controversies.
1.
Due to Bashir’s association
with Hassan- al - Turabi
He
even aligned himself with Hassan al-Turabi. Hassan- al- Turabi was a
controversial Islamist politician. Mr. Bashir even launched a top-down
Islamisation campaign in the northern parts of the country.
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Hassan al Tarubi
Photo Credit- CNN
Died- 2016
|
This
period also saw jihadists from around the world travelling to Sudan, mainly
attracted by the ideas of Mr. Turabi.
2.
Osama bin Laden and
connection between Mr. Bashir
Osama
bin Laden who set up a camp in Khartoum, was among those who made investments
in Sudan.
The
U.S. listed Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and later imposed
sanctions on the country.
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In 1998, after the terror attacks on American
embassies in East Africa, a pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum was destroyed by
a U.S. missile strike because of its alleged links to al-Qaeda (an account that
has been disputed by many analysts).
When
Mr. Turabi started challenging him, Mr. Bashir expelled him from the ruling
National Congress party and later arrested him.
3.
Breaking of Sudan into Southern
and Northern Sudan
Later,
it became clear that he could not end the two decades-long insurgencies in
southern Sudan by force and amid mounting international pressure, Mr. Bashir
entered a peace agreement with the Sudan People's Liberation Army, providing
the South autonomy for six years which was to be followed by a referendum. The
southerners would eventually break with Sudan and form their own country.
4.
The Killing
of people by Bashir
Darfur
remained an impoverished region in western Sudan. People protested demanding rights in 2003 and
Mr. Bashir unleashed militias against them. It ended up in the death of
hundreds to thousands of people. This matter -The Darfur conflict led to his
conviction at the International Criminal Court for genocide.
5. Economic Crisis
After
South Sudan separated and took three-fourths of the country’s oil fields in
July 2011, Sudan fell into an economic downturn. The move helped Southern
Sudan, and it is now one of the fastest growing economies.
The
fall in the energy prices from 2014 also hit Sudan hard. Inflation soared to
73% by late 2018 in a country where more than 40% of the population is living
in poverty.
The
rapid rise in inflation has brought down the living standards of the middle
class, who were at the forefront of the anti-Bashir protests. The country also
plunged into fuel and cash shortage, prompting long queues in front of banks
and fuel stations.
How did Bashir survive so
long in Sudan?
There
were many internal challenges and hostile feelings against Mr. Bashir, but
military stood by him.
He
has an image of economic moderniser due to the discovery of oil in Sudan.
In
recent years he turned towards west and presented himself against terrorists in
Africa. This move removed the
international sanctions removed. But
still, he couldn’t quell the mounting public anger amid steady an economy that
was rocked by the country’s split.
What is ahead?
The
Sudanese Army has said that it would be in charge for two
years before elections are held. Some protesters have rejected the Army’s
intervention, saying that they want to topple the regime, not just the
President. It remains to be seen whether they will turn the protests now
against the Army or Gen. Ibn Ouf, the new ruler, would stabilise the political
and economic crises
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