Stumbling Forward

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Sudan’s army leaders and main pro-democracy forces will establish a new civilian-led government next month in an effort to restore the African nation’s transition to democracy following last year’s military coup, the Associated Press reported.

Officials said this week the two factions stated they will sign an agreement on a political settlement in early April to form a transitional government by April 11.

Since October 2021, Sudan has been plunged into chaos following a military coup that removed the country’s Western-backed transitional government. That takeover upended the African country’s move to democracy which came about due following mass anti-government protests that led to the ousting of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

Amid international pressure, the military junta and the country’s largest pro-democracy group signed a framework agreement in December to establish a new civilian-led transitional government to usher Sudan toward elections.

But consensus-building has been slow and some of the country’s thorniest political issues, including security sector reform and transitional justice, remain unresolved.

Major political players – including rebel groups and some pro-democracy advocates – have rejected the deal, with some saying they have been targeted by the junta for complaining about it, Africanews wrote.

Observers noted that Sudan’s political transition would almost certainly result in new flows of cash entering the country.

Since the coup, international aid has dried up. Bread and gasoline shortages, exacerbated in part by the war in Ukraine, have become the norm, further destabilizing Sudan’s already-fragile economy.