Few reforms in Sudan even with Bashir in jail

 

Just what has the revolution that led to the fall of Omar al-Bashir achieved? As Sudan marks two years since the overthrow of a man who led the country with an iron fist for three decades, there is no agreement on what his departure brought.

Some cite stability and the return of the country to the global scene after years of isolation and sanctions by the US.

Washington has lifted the embargo, allowing Khartoum to draw benefits from international trade and credit.

It may take at least a year though, for those benefits to be felt in Sudan.

Bashir rode waves of unrest, usually by using militia to fight his proxy wars. That earned him an indictment at the International Criminal Court.

In April 2019, his military switched to the protest camp. Generals took power, detained Bashir and formed a transitional military council.

Civilian administration

In August 2019, the council accommodated civilian representatives, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Hamdok was the choice of the Sudanese Professionals Association whivh had led protests that ended Bashir’s rule on April 11, 2019.

April was not a coincidence. Sudan remembers the removal of Jafaar Nimeiry from power in April 1985. Four years later, Bashir took power from a civilian administration in a coup.

Rights activist Al-Sadiq Ibrahim says the revolution was motivated by the crush of dissent.

“The 2019 revolution achieved a transitional stage from a totalitarian period marked by violations of rights to one marked by freedom, peace, justice and people’s choice,” he said.

Ibrahim said many Sudanese had hopes of peace. What has been achieved, however, is a reduction of the clampdown on dissent and a change in criminal procedures to cases of political prisoners.

“There are reforms but ordinary people do not feel them due to the political complexities,” he said referring to the transitional government.

Corruption case

Bashir was given a two-year jail term for corruption and faces trial for several other crimes, including the 1989 coup and killing protesters and opponents.

In the three-year transitional period, the government is to address issues of political prisoners and facilitate access to justice.

“There is no clear discourse from the authority due to the delay in forming parliament and commissions, but the slowdown is governed by the balance of forces,” Ibrahim said, referring to the components of the transitional government which has civilian and army representatives.

The Transitional Sovereign Council is to change to a civilian head this August.

Abu Al-Qasim Ibrahim, an economist in Khartoum, told the Sunday Nation that the revolution not implemented key demands of protesters, including the economic issues that led the Sudanese to the streets.  BY DAILY NATION