Will Bashir Budge?

          Looking at how the West helped the Arab Spring in the Maghreb, one can smell a rat when it comes to African spring. The West doesn’t take it seriously so as to add up to people’s demand for the fall of dictators. Take Libya, for example, had the West pooh-poohed protesters as it currently is in Sudan, the late Muamar Gadaffi would have still be in office after brutally thwarting the demonstrators the same way Omar Bashir is doing in Sudan today. However, by the look of things, Bashir seems to have run out of tricks he applied for over three decades to hold on power.

            Sudanese ended the year 2018 in style. The world recently saw Sudanese rising up against their long-time dictator that’s been in power for three decades. They want a change of government that would bring a democratic and responsible government elected by the people. After suffering many years of brutality, corruption and miseries under Bashir, Sudanese decided to say enough is enough. As a coalition of professional unions (Associated Press, December 27, 2018) say it, “today, we the Sudanese people ... have crossed the point of no return on the path of change.” Will there any point of return despite the West giving Sudanese a cold shoulder? The Sudan Tribune (December 28, 2018) answers the question maintaining that “the Sudanese popular uprising is inevitably victorious.” When will Bashir pack and hit the road? Nobody can exactly tell despite the writing on the wall.

            Sudanese seem to have become impatient and tired of Bashir after subjecting them to intimidation and manipulations for many years. As it was in Libya, nobody would think Gadaffi would easily fall. Again, this was made possible by a powerful hand of the West that used the uprising to settle scores with Gadaffi.  Now, should Sudanese wait for the West to come to their aid or just press on? Chances are that the latter is the option due to the fact that they seem to have become sick and tired of indignity Bashir subjected them for a long time. The Washington Post (January 6, 2019) cites one protester, Aseel Abdo saying “I simply feel like we’ve been living without dignity. People are standing in endless lines for bread—the elderly and even children. I have girlfriends who would spend the night at the petrol station waiting to fill up their cars.” This angst speaks volumes as to where Sudan is heading as Bashir’s grip on power hangs in balance.

            To gauge what should be expected out of this standoff, we need to know the force behind the uprising. As oft-aired, when the price of bread shot up, Sudanese found that, apart from having no hope, the regime had no alternative whatsoever. Instead of bringing bread and other essentials down, the cash-strapped government invented imaginative enemies to appease the Sudanese to no avail. Up until now, the government seems not to gate it as it faces the mass that is mad enough to chew nails. Despite this precarious situation, like any cliff-hanger, Bashir seems hell-bent to cling unto power come hell or high water.  However Bashir has witnessed many uprising since taking power, the current one is far and few between comparably. This is why many think that this is the beginning of the end of Bashir’s long-time dictatorship.

Source: The African Executive Magazine today.