SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Washington Post - Sudan's upheaval is the latest example of a 'gray-zone coup'

17/4/19: Washington Post – Sudan’s upheaval is the latest example of a ‘gray-zone coup’

 Nandita Balakrishnan, an international relations PhD candidate at Stanford University, argues that Omar Al Bashir’s upheaval was the result of the military coercing Al Bashir into negotiated settlement: thus falling into the “gray-zone” between a military coup and negotiated settlement.

 The article highlights how Al Bashir tried to “coup-proof” his regime by purging the military of his rivals, stacking the military those who share his ethnicity, and giving military leaders preferential political and financial treatment.

 However, Balakrishnan suggests that Al Bashir miscalculated his military’s will or capacity to remove him, as well as his inner circle’s loyalty, thereby making him unwilling to negotiate. She also raises the possibility of Al Bashir waiting for a better negotiated settlement, but capitulating after the military made a show of force.