Until October 25, 2021, Sudan was the exception to the rule in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region: becoming more democratic, rather than less. This exceptional democratization was thanks to a historic nonviolent movement that cut across all strata of Sudanese society and succeeded in taking down a 30-year dictatorship in 2019. The transitional agreement that followed stipulated that the military and civilians would share power in a 3-year transitional council, with the military chairing it for the first 21 months. But as the date of turning over chairmanship to the civilians approached, the military chair, General Burhan, led a coup on October 25 that included dissolving the transitional council, detaining the civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and numerous other civilian leaders, cutting off internet and telecommunications nationwide, and numerous repressive and corrupt actions. Several mass demonstrations were held in protest of the coup, bringing millions onto the streets across every region of the country. Military/paramilitary/security forces responded by killing at least 40 peaceful protesters and injuring and detaining hundreds of young leaders, activists and demonstrators - many of them teenagers. Horrific attacks by armed militia have been reported in Darfur, with several villages destroyed, hundreds of casualties and thousands displaced.
While the people of Sudan had accepted the military-civilian power-sharing arrangement despite its imperfections prior to the coup, the actions of the military on and since October 25th crossed red lines. Popular sentiment has thus shifted to the stance that the military can no longer have any role in government because it has proven one time too many that instead of being the defender of the people, it is the aggressor and oppressor. During the 28 days following the coup, several mediation efforts took place, but none seemed to adequately take into consideration this shift in popular opinion. So when a deal was announced on November 22nd by General Burhan and the just-released-from-detention Prime Minister Hamdok, the majority of Sudanese felt betrayed and vowed to continue the nonviolent movement until the military is removed from government.
The latest in a string of nationwide "Million Person" protests took place on November 30th, another is taking place tomorrow, December 6th; meanwhile nonviolent civil disobedience actions are taking place on a continual basis across the country. The young generations are particularly determined and, with approximately 30 out of 40 million Sudanese under the age of 35, these generations are a force to be reckoned with. Rather than being deterred by the repressive and divisive tactics of the authoritarian playbook, their resolve and innovation for freedom, justice and peace are strengthened by it.
It remains to be seen how this disconnect between the people and the halls of power will play out over the coming weeks and months. What is clear is that the remarkable democratization path that Sudan had been on, has been disrupted by the coup, making an already grueling journey even bumpier. But with the people committed to their nonviolent revolution no matter how difficult the path gets, there is still great reason to hope for Sudan becoming a beacon of democracy in the region, and even greater reason to redouble efforts to empower the young generations of Sudan as agents of democratic change.