Sudan’s Recent Protests are Promising and Need our Attention

This month, Sudan witnessed the development of a historical movement that’s mobilized members from all sectors of society in the country.

“The United States and its allies should sit up and pay attention. Reluctance to support a nonviolent, gradual, civilian-led transition in Sudan now risks not only missing a rare opportunity for peaceful change, but also passively facilitating a dangerously insecure Sudan and the potential for calamitous state failure in a critical region,” according to Linda Bishai, director of ABA ROLI’s Research, Learning, and Evaluation team, and Azaz Elshami, Sudanese-American human rights advocate and independent consultant, in a new Just Security article.

Titled “We are all Darfur! Sudan's Unity Protests Stand a Real Chance. Time for the West to Step Up,” the article highlights three unprecedented characteristics of Sudan’s promising movement. Both the “longevity” and magnitude of the recent protests are unlike any associated with previous movements, which encountered limited engagement and violent suppression. Additionally, the Sudanese people have refused to fall for divisional tactics deployed by the brutal government of President Omar al-Bashir (who has been in power for thirty years), and as a result, have strengthened and broadened the resolve of the movement’s participants.

Read the full article to learn more about the protests developments in Sudan here.