Protests Against Peace: What is Happening in Sudan?

Opinion piece by Tala Al Otaibi, Staff Writer

October 23rd, 2020

The current situation in Sudan dates back to several decades ago when Sudan gained its independence in the 1950s. Since its independence, Sudan has gone through instances of both party politics and military rule. Over the years, multiple governments have taken office. However, none were able to put an end to the roots of the war, and riots went on. 

As we know, President Omar al-Bashir came to power by the end of the 1989 Sudanese military coup. His time in the office was known as the most oppressive period in the contemporary history of Sudan. His rule was characterized by his Islamist-military alliance. Because of al-Bashir’s alliances, Sudan began moving away from a democratic state and into an Islamist nation. For almost a decade since the south gained its independence in 2011, Sudan had lost a significant amount of territory. Hence, it lost much of its oil reserves and continuously fell into economic misery. With poverty on a constant rise, food prices increasing, and a strong depreciation of the Sudanese pound, anti-Bashir groups began to upsurge. With the protests that began in late 2018, al-Bashir’s domestic alliances began to weaken drastically. Eventually, al-Bashir was forced out of power in April of 2019 and is now on trial with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on genocide and war crime charges.

In early October, the Sudanese government, along with some Sudanese rebel groups, signed a peace deal that aims to end the wars that have been ongoing for decades. The deal, which was signed by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), is meant to spread peace all over Sudan and stabilize the economy. Nonetheless, the rebels are still allowed to keep their guns and weapons for purposes of self-protection until the government is able to separate religion from the state. 

For many Sudanese nationals, the peace deal is a good sign of progress. It is meant to stabilize Sudan and provide a better life for refugees and those who are internally displaced. Furthermore, the peace deal is designed to improve Sudan’s relations with foreign countries. With such an improvement, the economy is set to rise again. Support can be provided, whether financial or political. Sudan is definitely in need of such support given the most recent flooding, which drastically affected almost a million people residing in Sudan. 

However, the satisfaction with the peace deal is not the case for every Sudanese national, especially those who are actually living in refugee camps. Those living in Darfur staged a peaceful protest the same day that the deal was meant to be signed. More specifically, internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the Hujaj camp refer to the deal as merely a “half peace” deal, with the argument that the deal does not truly satisfy the needs of IDPs or refugees living in Sudan. 

It is important to note that the peace deal did not include the participation of all the groups residing in Sudan. As mentioned previously, rebel groups still possess their guns and weapons. It might very well mean that those rebel groups will rebel against the deal. The peace deal excluded many groups in Sudan. Besides the exclusion of specific rebel groups, thousands of women and children, especially those within the camps, continue to suffer and will not be benefiting from the outcome of the recent peace deal. 

One of the most delicate and dangerous parts of implementing this peace deal is going to be the disarmament of groups across the nation. Two of the big groups in Sudan, which did not take part in the deal, hold over 15,000 fighters alone. The mission, now, is to turn all these rebel fighters into regular troops. Where does it go from here? Will these groups be able to let go of all the conflicts that took place over the last several decades and the continuous disagreements between all sides?

Until a trusted central authority is established in Sudan, it will be very difficult for groups within the country to comply to a government that is yet to be stable, not to mention willingly give up their armed power. While the top priority of the deal was ending the wars ravaging Sudan, there are still way too many factors that need to be taken into account in order to rightly achieve “peace” between the people and provide the Sudanese with the life they truly deserve.