Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum, Sudan, on July 19, 2018. Picture by MENA/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images. All rights reserved.The continuation of the protests against longtime authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir in Sudan have understandably been receiving increasing media attention due to the prospect of real political change in the country. Protests, demonstrations, and strikes have now lasted more than a month and have certainly rattled the ruling regime in Sudan as well as several other regional powers fearful of popular protests spreading throughout the region and challenging their own rule. The unrest in Sudan has its roots both in economic hardships caused by cuts to subsidies, shortages of food staples, and foreign currency shortages as well as deeper political grievances stemming from the authoritarian and often brutal rule of al-Bashir.
The protests against al-Bashir are by no means unprecedented in Sudan, especially in the last decade. For example, the beginning of the 2011 Arab uprisings in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt helped inspire similar protests in Sudan which focused on worsening economic conditions and the lack of political freedom. In 2013 and again in 2016, protests erupted having been caused by a number of similar political and economic grievances. The most recent string of protests, beginning in December 2018, show no signs of tapering off and may serve as a more serious challenge to the rule of al-Bashir than ever before. In highlighting the uniqueness of this round of protests, some observers have pointed to these protests’ longevity as well as a number of other factors such as apparent rifts within al-Bashir’s own political party and the unity between opposition groups against the ruling regime.
The legacy of the 2011 Arab uprisings’ initial successes may give hope that continued protests and demonstrations can bring about real political change. However, while this hope may be inspiring to those taking part in these protests, another legacy of these uprisings may also be hindering those who wish to see tangible political and economic changes in Sudan. In reality, there are at least three factors that are working against the protesters that stem from regional changes resulting from the Arab uprisings.
