Sudan tensions erupt again after protests in Khartoum
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of Sudan reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok last month. This happened after mounting internal and international pressure. However, with the military still having power mechanisms to alter the path to democracy, many in Sudan are dismayed despite the reinstatement of Hamdok.
Modern Tokyo Times reported, “A technocratic government will rule Sudan in the short term until democracy is firmly entrenched. Hence, internal political pressure, protesters, and international support from the Quad Sudan group (America, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom) were instrumental – along with the United Nations (UN) in paving a way out of the crisis.”
Despite this, countless voices of discontent were espoused immediately by individuals within the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC). This concerns the fear that the coup military elites will continue to be a dark shadow within the body politic that will crush democracy unless they can preserve potent political strings.
Last month, the FFC reiterated its stance. The FFC uttered, “We affirm our clear and previously announced position: no negotiation and no partnership and no legitimacy for the putschists.”
In the latest clashes, at least 178 protesters were injured. Eight people had live bullet wounds, according to several international media sources. 58 members of the security forces were injured during clashes, according to authorities in Sudan.
The BBC reports, “The pro-democracy demonstrations on Saturday saw thousands of protesters approach the presidential palace for the second time in a week, waving flags and chanting slogans against the military.”
Reuters reports, “Internet services were disrupted in the capital, and residents were unable to make or receive phone calls, the witnesses said, while soldiers and Rapid Support Forces blocked roads leading to bridges linking Khartoum with Omdurman, its sister city across the Nile.”
Sadly, the situation will remain volatile until compromises are made on all sides. However, the onus is on the military and political elites who supported the coup against Hamdok to reduce their power mechanisms.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59795213
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