Months of anti-government rallies and sit-ins have led to Sudan’s President Omar-al-Bashir being ousted and arrested by the country’s military. The country is now in for a two-year military-run transition government, as well as a three-month-long emergency period. This has thrown a dark shadow over what was supposed to be a moment of celebration and joy for the Sudanese people. Bashir had spent nearly 30 years in power, and it is now clear from the reactions of protesters that the people of Sudan had hoped for a form of inclusive, representative government. Organisations like the Sudanese Professionals Associations (SPA) which have led the anti-Bashir protests have already announced that they will continue protesting until they are certain the country is in for more than a cosmetic change.
So where does the country go from here? Though the Sudanese military has removed an unpopular leader who had overstayed his welcome by several years, it is not clear what it can do to resolve the economic crisis in Sudan that brought protesters to the streets in the first place. What makes matters even direr is that the country’s security establishment is not even on the same page. This is made evident by clashes that have occurred between the military, intelligence personnel and militia forces over the past few days. Should protests continue in such an atmosphere, matters could spiral irreversibly out of control.
Even Aala Salah, the young woman who became a symbol of the protests and given the monicker “Nubian queen”, has rejected the military takeover. She was filmed chanting against the government, accusing the authorities of trying to fool the people. It is necessary that the Sudanese military see sense. Developments in Syria over the last eight years are a chilling example of how a regime that insists on ruling people who won’t accept it can destroy a country. Though Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has managed to retain power with the help of his friends in Russia in Iran, the country he intends on ruling is completely destroyed, it’s ancient cities reduced to piles of rubble.
This is a highly volatile situation, and it is hoped cooler heads prevail. For now, the new military regime in Sudan should allow people to protest if they wish to. As for Omar-Al-Bashir; he needs to be handed over to international authorities so he can stand trial for war crimes in the War of Darfur. The charges against him include torture, rape, murder and attacks on a civilian population. *