Sudanese, work out a compromise
The crisis in Sudan took another dimension last week when security forces opened fire on protesters in the capital city, Khartoum. Scores of people reportedly died in the incident. The development followed an order by Sudan’s ruling military council for sit-in protesters to disperse. Since the removal of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, citizens have staged […]
President Muhammadu Buhari receives a special envoy from Sudan, Lt.-Gen. Jammal Eddin Ibrahim, Sudanese Head of Security & Defence Committee, during his visit to the State House in Abuja yesterday.
The crisis in Sudan took another dimension last week when security forces opened fire on protesters in the capital city, Khartoum. Scores of people reportedly died in the incident. The development followed an order by Sudan’s ruling military council for sit-in protesters to disperse. Since the removal of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, citizens have staged sit-ins outside Army Headquarters in Khartoum, insisting on transfer of power to civilians.
Since December when the Transitional Military Council [TMC] took over after al-Bashir’s ouster, Sudan has not known peace. It all began with protests over the imposition of emergency austerity measures by al-Bashir’s government to stave off economic collapse. The protests snowballed into a call for removal of the president who had led the country for 30 years. Following intense pressure, soldiers then sacked Al-Bashir.
The protesters however remained on the streets, calling for a properly elected leadership in the country. On May 15, as part of on-going talks, Sudan’s protest leaders under the umbrella group Alliance for Freedom and Change agreed with TMC on the main structure of a transitional government, which would will lead to a properly elected leadership in three years. Hopes for peace were however soon dashed when talks between the two sides collapsed and the military scrapped all agreements, saying it would now hold elections within nine months. TMC’s head said they decided to “stop negotiating with the Alliance for Freedom and Change and cancel what had been agreed on.”
On June 3, days after the talks collapsed, armed men in military fatigues broke up the camp of protesters in an operation that doctors said left 120 people dead.When the talks broke down, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed flew to Sudan to try to broker a new agreement. After many days, his special envoy Mahmoud Dirir announced on June 11 that protest leaders agreed to suspend widespread strikes and return to the negotiating table.
The crisis in Sudan is of serious concern to all Africans and the world. What started as a simple protest has turned deadly with lives lost almost on daily basis. Right now the country’s economy and all social activities are grounded. It was in a quest for a better life that the Sudanese people defied all odds and occupied the streets until al-Bashir was ousted. It is therefore unfortunate that months after they achieved that goal, they are yet to have peace or normalcy. The mindless killings and bloodshed currently going on must stop. The military should sheath their swords and avoid pushing the protesters to the wall and into armed struggle.
Events in Syria, Libya and Yemen started in a similar way and soon deteriorated due to poor response by the authorities. Sudan should not go down that road. It would be disheartening if instead of getting a better deal after the ouster of al-Bashir, the country is thrown into chaos as happened in several Arab countries and in Somalia. The protesters have been on the street for some time now and they have made their point. They have also made a major gain with the removal of Omar al-Bashir from power.
It is now time for some compromise. They have not achieved all their demands but then, pushing further could roll back all the gains, as happened in Egypt in 2012-13. Since the major issue in contention now is election time frame, there is room for compromise. Since TMC wants elections in nine months and the protesters want it in three years’ time, theycould strike a compromise and hold elections in the next 18 months. Even if things do not turn out to the demonstrators’ satisfaction, it would still be possible to remedy the situation afterwards.
The current situation is not doing anyone any good and it could still spiral out of both parties’ control.We urge African and Arab leaders to step in and press for a compromise. Sudan must learn to avoid the tragic fate of Syria, Libya and Yemen.