Expert Analyst: International Politics, Middle East & Nonviolent Action
Stephen Zunes’ April 2021 report* reviews the chronology of the resistance struggle in Sudan, the critical role of nonviolent discipline, other factors contributing to the movement’s success, and the current political situation. It seeks to explain how the movement was…
Economic recovery from decades of autocratic misrule is critical for Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government to establish legitimacy and survive ongoing threats from reactionary forces. The United States, however, is maintaining its punitive sanctions, effectively punishing the country for the sins of the dictatorship the Sudanese people overthrew last year.
INTERVIEW: Middle East scholar Stephen Zunes talks about Sudan’s hopeful but uncertain future in the wake of its peaceful democratic revolution.
Conditions under Sudan’s oppressive autocratic regime did not fit into what Western analysts see as the right ones for a successful pro-democracy civil resistance movement and yet they have emerged victorious—at least for now. Among other things, its success points to perhaps the single most important factor: nonviolent discipline.
A powerful pro-democracy civil insurrection in Sudan which has ousted a longstanding dictator and his successor is still in progress, but Sudanese are hopeful for a full democratic transition.
LINK:
https://www.risingupwithsonali.com/2019/04/12/why-sudans-dictator-fell-and-what-comes-next/
DOWNLOAD AUDIO (MP3):
https://ia601505.us.archive.org/27/items/20190412StephenZunes/2019_04_12_Stephen_Zunes.mp3
A growing anti-government movement consisting of nonviolent demonstrations as well as scattered rioting is beginning to threaten the Sudanese dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir, an indicted war criminal, who has ruled this large North African nation for twenty-three years. Beginning as protests against strict austerity measures imposed three weeks ago, the chants of the protesters have escalated to “the people want to overthrow the regime,” the line heard in recent uprisings in other Arab countries, including Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain and Syria.