‘Uncertain Road Ahead For Sudan’s New Rulers’

NEW DELHI: It’s now 48 hours since the military coup in Sudan and it remains to be seen if the unrest in the streets gathers steam. For now, deposed prime minister Abdallah Hamdok has returned home, according to sources believed to be close to the military dispensation. But Gen. Abdal Fattah Burhan has warned that others in the now dissolved transition government would face action for what he claimed was inciting divisions.

In this conversation on The Gist, former diplomat Mahesh Sachdev with long experience of Africa and the adjoining Arab region, says the new government reflects Sudan’s long history of rule by generals. Whether the men in uniform would rule themselves or install a civilian facade remains to be seen. That may also depend on the degree of public unrest. Nor is it clear if the entire army is on board with the coup.

Sudan’s new rulers look similar to those of Egypt, to the point where Burhan and President al-Sisi in Cairo share the same first names. But ties with Ethiopia are tense over the damming of the Nile. Refugees fleeing the fighting in Tigray province are flooding into Sudan. There are also Islamist strongholds in pockets of this vast country.

Tune in to this conversation with Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev for insight into the coup in Sudan.