Well, short answer… a lot. To describe Sudan as having a tumultuous relationship with power and democracy would be an understatement. Since the nation’s origins under the Pharaonic period, control over the territory has switched hands like a proverbial Bop-it at a sleepover. In fact, as of this past week, another attempt to flip control of the African nation took place, yet failed. What government officials are calling the latest in a long line of coup attempts transpired this past Tuesday in the heart of the Sudanese city of Omdurman. This time, the Bop-it of power found itself nearly in the hands of a group of militant armed corps, individuals ranging from grunts to high-ranked officers. The standing state-backed military, however, assured that the “pass it” mode was off, quickly arresting the suspected insurrectionists. While reports vary due to the sanctions of anonymity placed by the government and state-owned media, it is believed that upwards of twenty-plus former militant operatives were arrested by midday Tuesday.
Now, in the aftermath of the attempted revolution, the most crucial questions this budding democracy has to face are “why?” and “what next?”.
To answer these quandaries, there must first be a fundamental understanding of where the nation resided politically leading up to this point. Returning to the Bop-it example (unfortunately), the gambit was primarily held by the former head of state Omar al-Bashir, from 1989 to 2019. In the thirty years of his reign, which he fittingly enough gained control of in a coup, al-Bashir was anything but a fair and diplomatic ruler. His time in control is marked by his penchant for the mass murder, rape, and mutilation of those he deemed to be his “domestic enemies” (Dafur), including the innocent of all ages. Also noteworthy is the inclusion and importance of religiosity in his regime, primarily settling his government around Sharia law, being punitively strict under the guise of divine intention. However, in 2019, he himself was deposed by a coup d’etat, wherein the military revolted after months of mass public outcry. This action resulted in the arrest of al-Bashir and all of his associate cabinet members, passing the Bop-it to a new collection of government officials, this time focused on secular democracy.
The “why?” of the actions of this past Tuesday can be seen by looking at the country’s recent history, as the perpetrators of the coup were identified as strict subscribers to Omar al-Bashir’s form of government. During Sudan’s slow and daunting transition to a joint democratic state, there is an expected that it will be peppered with instability and radical notions, such as by those who took part in the coup. Yet, as easy as it is to answer the “why?”, coming to terms with what is next is ever so more difficult. There stands to be more attacks and pushback from those who were fond of the traditional and conservative style of the Islamic state. However, with firm U.S. and international backing in the ideals of the new direction of the nation, it seems that, though weakened by the attempted insurrections, Sudan will only grow further in its democratic endeavor. Who knows, maybe one day soon the Bop-it will come to rest at a junction for all Sudanese to use equally. But for now, it sits awkwardly in limbo, yearning for a new and fair owner.
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