SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Chatham House - Can Sudan Achieve Peace and Democratic Transition?

9/8/19: Chatham House - Can Sudan Achieve Peace and Democratic Transition?, by Dame Rosalind Marsden

 Dame Rosalind Marsden, former UK ambassador to Khartoum, calls for comprehensive reforms, a united democratic front and continued international pressure, to avert chaos or return to military dictatorship.

 Marsden calls for the Forces of Freedom and Change to compromise with the Sudan Revolutionary Front - amid conflicting priorities between urban Sudanese, who mainly demand civic rights, and Sudanese in conflict zones and peripheries, who prioritise peace and political inclusion.

 To transform established patterns of power and privilege, Marsden calls for the FFC to ensure proper representation of youth and women, noting that these groups were largely excluded by the FFC despite being “the driving force of the revolution.”

 To dismantle the Islamist deep-state, Marsden calls for security sector reforms – which must also be supported by the international community - including establishing a professional and inclusive army, reducing intelligence services powers, and withdrawing the Rapid Support Forces from law enforcement.