The panel will discuss the dynamics of the 2019 Sudanese revolution, characterised by both non-violent civic mobilisation and the fast-evolving transnational and mercenarised political marketplace.
In December 2018, protests began across Sudan due to steadily rising living costs, unemployment and poor economic conditions. Five months later, in April 2019, these protests reached their peak and culminated in the ousting of the nearly 30-year rule of President Omar al-Bashir.
Since Bashir’s departure, Sudan has been governed by the Transmilitary Council (TMC). However, protests persisted as the people campaigned for a say in how they would like to be governed and demanded involvement in the transition to a democratic government. Eventually, a transitional governance agreement was reached between the TMC and the Declaration of Freedom and Change. However, the deputy chair of the TMC and de facto ruler of Sudan is General Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo. Hemedti is energetically cutting political-financial deals, akin to how Bashir operated, to stay on top of the country’s tumultuous politics.
This panel tackles the 'real politics’ of Sudan’s transition in detail and it will provide an overview of the most realistic alternative paths to stability. Identifying the historically embedded economic, political and social components of this puzzle are particularly crucial for Sudanese civil society, activists and members of the business and political communities to identify potential allies and successful strategies to promote change. Likewise, it is essential for governments such as the United Kingdom to better understand these factors in order to support meaningful change.
Alex de Waal (@WorldPeaceFdtn) is the Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University and the Research Programme Director of the Conflict Research Programme (CRP) at LSE.
Raga Makawi is a Sudanese activist interested in researching the political economy of Sudan and the region. She is also the Commissioning Editor for the Africa Series at Zed Books and African Arguments, and a regional coordinator and researcher at the Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute.
Willow Berridge (@WBerri85) is a Lecturer and historian at Newcastle University focussing on the 20th Century Islamic World, with a particular interest in Sudanese history and the dynamics of Islamist ideology.
Dr. Rim Turkmani (@Rim_Turkmani) is the Research Director for the Conflict Research Programme work in Syria. Dr. Turkmani is based in the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit at the LSE.
Photo credit: Muhammad Salah, Documentary Photographer based in Khartoum. Taken during the sudan uprising in April 2019. Website: www.moaziz.com Instagram: @m.salah.abdulaziz
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