SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: European Council on Foreign Relations – Off track: Why Sudan’s transition is in danger

18/3/2020: European Council on Foreign Relations – Off track: Why Sudan’s transition is in danger, by Jean-Baptiste Gallopin

 To restore Sudan’s democratic prospects, Jean-Baptiste Gallopin calls on Prime Minister Hamdok and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) to begin vigorous institutional reforms that bring together the cabinet, the FFC, civil society and armed groups, and address the grievances of Sudan’s regions.

 Gallopin attributes the stalled progress on the institutional agenda of Sudan’s transition to the FFC’s internal divides, and the Sovereign Council - that “largely abides by the wishes of generals inherited from the Bashir era” - exploiting Sudan’s peace process to side-line the civilian-led cabinet.

 Gallopin warns that military rule may be reasserted if Hamdok “continues to largely confine himself to the role of an economic administrator,” and if the FFC fail to organise beyond their “narrow” social base in Sudan’s central Arab regions, and appoint governors and parliamentarians who “genuinely reflect Sudan’s diversity.”