SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Bloomberg - A Coup Fails in Sudan but Its Fragile Democracy Remains at Risk

23/9/2021: Bloomberg - A Coup Fails in Sudan but Its Fragile Democracy Remains at Risk, by Bobby Ghosh

Bloomberg columnist Bobby Ghosh calls for the international community to speed up debt-forgiveness and aid for Sudan, as well as encouraging private investment in order to help Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok get the economy on track, and thereby “keep the population on his side”.

Ghosh argues that Sudan’s transition has entered its most difficult period, and Hamdok is at his most vulnerable, amid economic issues triggering public frustration. Although the coup plotters “misread the national mood”, Ghosh warns that there may be other bids to overthrow the government before the elections expected in early 2024.

Ghosh adds that Sudan has been “a shining exception to the trend of democratic retrenchment across much of Africa and a beacon of hope amid the gathering gloom of autocratic populism worldwide,” concluding that “this bright spark of democracy in Africa deserves special consideration.”