SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: BBC - Sudan on the brink amid scramble for democracy

20/10/2021: BBC  - Sudan on the brink amid scramble for democracy, by Magdi Abdelhadi

With the formation of a breakaway faction of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) reflecting growing divisions between transitional partners, BBC Africa analyst Magdi Abdelhadi notes that the recent demonstrations were not solely pro-army, but also featured those accusing the original FFC excluding other groups from the transition.

Abdelhadi argues that a fundamental flaw of Sudan’s political class since independence in 1956 is: “the tendency to fragment and splinter…failure to compromise and build consensus paved the way for the military to step in, to mount coups under the pretext of rescuing the country from the chaos inflicted upon it by politicians”.

Regional expert Alex de Waal said that it is unrealistic to believe that Sudan would achieve national unity soon, suggesting that the best hope currently would be for Sudanese to agree to disagree through dialogue rather than violence.