After months of unrest, the long-time ruler of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir was finally removed in a bloodless coup led by the military. For 30 years, Bashir, one of the few remaining dictators in the continent, ruled the country with an iron fist amid accusations of widespread corruption as well as human rights abuses in the Darfur region that an arrest warrant has been issued for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite his ouster, the celebrations were short-lived as concerns grow over the role that the military will play in the country’s transition to become a democracy. Although the civil society movement that has been organizing the protests wants a complete break from the past, the military’s refusal to give up control has continued to stoke fears that the political crisis in the country is far from over and Bashir’s removal is just the “end of the beginning” of another regime, which is not much different from the one they overthrew.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) that has been leading the protest efforts since day one has remained the most vocal critic of the so-called military council that was established following the end of Bashir’s presidency. The SPA clearly understands that the coup will just represent a change in form but not substance if the military wields significant influence on the newly-formed transitional government. Instead of dying down, the protests that were originally initiated to demand for Bashir’s resignation turned their attention to the military and the coup leader General Ibn Auf was eventually forced to resign barely one day after chairing the council. Apart from the protests, the general’s resignation has also been linked to dissent among the military ranks as well as opposition from the international players on his role as facilitator during the transition period.
His replacement General al-Burhan has promised to look into the demands of the protesters though he did not elaborate on his intention of a complete handover to a civilian-led government. Despite this, he has agreed broadly to some of the other demands such as fighting corruption, ensuring freedom and justice as well as promoting accountability among others. His assurances however did very little in calming down the protesters on the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere as there have been doubts that the military rulers will ever break from its former past amid allegations that they could just be another puppet for remnants the ex-regime.
On the other hand, the tenacity of the opposition movement has also been put under the spotlight as the post-coup crisis dragged on. There have already been divisions on ways forward in dealing with the military council as the opposition has loosely been united by the goal of removing Bashir. Fractions along generational, ideological, geographical and ethnic lines are likely to put the precarious coalition under more pressure going forward. The military could also exploit these tensions and wait until the right moment to reinstate its legitimacy by accusing the opposition of being unable to provide stability the country desperately needs. All these if not handled well could result in further chaos in a country that has been beaming with hope after the removal of one of sub-Saharan Africa’s last dictators, Omar al-Bashir.
Following is a timeline of the coup in Sudan as well as SAFEY reports (all times local):
After months of protests, the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was finally removed from power following a coup d’état by the military. Since 11 April, SAFEY has published at least 20 updates related to the coup and its impacts to safety and security for SAFEY users in Sudan.
The reports of a coup in Sudan came in several hours after midnight of 11 April as the military forces under the command of General Ibn Auf seized the state broadcaster and urged the country’s citizens to wait for an important announcement. His forces were also deployed to the presidential palace where the president Omar al-Bashir was later detained.
First red alert (with sms) by SAFEY on the coup attempt at 06:29 on 11 April
After months of protests, the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was finally removed from power following a coup d’état by the military. Since 11 April, SAFEY has published at least 20 updates related to the coup and its impacts to safety and security for SAFEY users in Sudan.
The reports of a coup in Sudan came in several hours after midnight of 11 April as the military forces under the command of General Ibn Auf seized the state broadcaster and urged the country’s citizens to wait for an important announcement. His forces were also deployed to the presidential palace where the president Omar al-Bashir was later detained.
SAFEY on the coup attempt at 06:29 on 11 April
SAFEY sent out an alert for its users about the possibility of a coup in the country as troop movements were reported in several key areas in Khartoum.
Second red alert (with SMS) by SAFEY on a rally near the military headquarters at 06:44 on 11 April
As day breaks, the SPA called for supporters to rally around the military headquarters in Khartoum while the coup got underway. The main airport in Khartoum was also closed as a result of the political situation.
The military announces the removal of Omar al-Bashir as the country’s president at around noon on 11 April.
Subsequent alerts by SAFEY following the coup by the military
SAFEY continued to update its users about the ongoing protests in the country as protesters demanded the removal of the transitional military council. A sit-in also got underway for days in front of the military headquarters while a curfew was also imposed in the country few days after the coup.
Contributors
Chan Cheong
Senior Analyst and Office Manager Malaysia
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