Coup in Sudan

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Sudan military’s recent moves and the tensions with the civilian government has backtracked the country’s transition to democracy.

Omar al-Bashir had presided over Sudan for nearly three decades.
A popular uprising and the ouster of President Bashir in April 2019 led to Sudan’s transition from dictatorship to democracy.
Soon, under an August 2019 agreement, the military and leaders of the civilian movement came together to form a transitional government.
They work in a ruling body known as the Sovereign Council, which is meant to lead the country to elections by the end of 2023.

Under the agreement, the acting Prime Minister would run the day-to-day affairs.
And the military chief would remain the leader of the Sovereignty Council for 2 years.
Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military chief, was scheduled to hand over the leadership of the transitional government to the civilian leadership in a few weeks.
But he disbanded the government, and proclaimed himself the new leader.
He also declared a state of emergency and imprisoned the civilian leaders, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Thus, the move by Sudan’s military to dissolve the Sovereignty Council has put the country back into chaos.

The military’s role is supposed to be largely honorary.
But civilians have repeatedly complained of military overreach in foreign policy and peace negotiations.
On the other hand, the military has accused civilian parties of mismanagement and monopolising power.

War crimes

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking trials for Bashir and other Sudanese suspects.
This is on the allegations of war crimes by the military and its allies in the conflict in Darfur from 2003.
The cabinet has signed off on handing over suspects, but the Sovereign Council has not.

Investigation into killings

There is conflict over investigation into the killings of pro-democracy protesters on June 3, 2019, in which military forces are implicated.
Activists and civilian groups have been angered by delays in making the investigation’s findings public.
Civilians also call for oversight and restructuring of the military, particularly through the integration of the powerful, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
But the military leaders have resisted.

A worsening economic crisis sent the currency plunging and created frequent shortages of bread and fuel.
This was the trigger for Bashir’s downfall.
The transitional government has implemented harsh, rapid reforms monitored by the IMF in a successful bid for debt relief and to attract foreign financing.
In the wake of the reforms, inflation rose to historic highs of more than 400%.
There have been occasional protests over economic conditions.
Port Sudan, the country’s largest port, on the Red Sea, had been blockaded by a tribal group, with help from the military.
This led to worsening economic situation, including acute food shortage, currency and fuel.

Sudan is in a volatile region, bordering the Red Sea, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa.
Most of its neighbours, including Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan have been affected by political upheavals and conflict.
Since late 2020, conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has pushed tens of thousands of refugees into eastern Sudan.
This has caused military tensions in disputed agricultural lands along the border.
Sudan is pushing, with Egypt, for a binding deal over the operation of a giant hydropower dam that Ethiopia is building near the Sudanese border.
Talks have stalled but Ethiopia has started filling the reservoir behind the dam.
Sudan says that this could put its citizens, dams and water facilities at risk.

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