Smoke rises as clashes continue between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan on May 1, 2023. (Photo by Ahmed Satti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
I was born and grew up under an authoritarian regime in Sudan. I have never had a chance to vote in a real democratic election.
In December 2018, my generation of youths started an uprising which culminated in the toppling of Omar al-Bashir, a dictator who ruled the country for 30 years. Then, in 2019, I witnessed the formation of a transitional government which was seen as a beacon of hope for our political future. But that was short lived.
Sudan has an advantageous strategic location on the African continent. It is a large country, rich in resources, with a multiplicity of ethnicities and cultures. It has the capacity to become a thriving and flourishing nation.
Since Sudan got independence from Britain in 1956, successive governments have failed to create independent state institutions and to establish an inclusive national project. This has led to a distortion of the state, where the military seeks power instead of protecting the state.
Historically, Sudan has had the most military coups in Africa, with the army attempting to overthrow the government 17 times in 67 years. This has led to 53 years of military rule since liberation.
Because of the state’s fragile foundation, wars have broken out. Most notably, the conflict in southern Sudan, following decades of civil war between the central government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, caused the loss of more than 2 million lives. As a result, in 2011, South Sudan seceded from Sudan, breaking in two what was Africa’s largest country.
Furthermore, the war in Darfur, which is in the western region of the country, led to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In this war, the Janjaweed, the Arab militia that was supported by the government, fought against rebels of non-Arab populations. This led to an estimated 300 000 people being killed between 2003 and 2008, and 2.5 million were displaced, according to the UN.
The fragility in the formation of the Sudanese state has resulted in the emergence of various armed groups that defend certain interests, whether ethnic or ideological.
The failure to establish a single national and patriotic army, coupled with the rise of rebel movements that were sometimes allied with the government, and fought against it at other times, deprived the state of economic, social and political stability. In Sudan, there was no voice louder than the sound of arms.
On 15 April 2023, war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that was founded by the Al-Bashir regime. The origins of the RSF can be traced to the notorious Janjaweed militias, which in the 2000s helped Sudan’s army crush a rebellion in Darfur. The estimated number of RSF fighters is between 70 000 and 150 000.
So far, the death toll has topped 2 000 people, with corpses lying decomposing in the streets because they cannot not be buried. The thousands of injured include civilians who, in many cases, can’t receive treatment due to the lack of medical services.
There has been a mass destruction of infrastructure, and as a result, millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. The people who have chosen to stay, despite the war, are faced serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, such as rape, and other sexual violence, and looting.
This war has nothing to do with the Sudanese people but they must bear its bad consequences. It’s a war that came after the generals of the ASF and RSF revolted against the civilian government in a coup in October 2021. After that the two shared power. But because the leaders of both these factions are power-hungry, they couldn’t rule the country together. And, as the Sudanese proverb says: “When there are two captains rowing the boat, the boat will sink.”
But all is not lost. Out of crisis comes opportunity. It is time for the Sudanese people to right the wrongs of the past and make a fresh start that provides a new establishment for the country. This includes a good governance system that ends the bloodshed to achieve the people’s desire for peace, justice, freedom and well-being.
In order for this to happen, there must be an acknowledgement of the historical mistakes of the Sudanese state since its establishment by all actors in the society. Moreover, a major and unified civilian body must be formed, demanding an end to the war. They must mobilise significant international and regional support against the conflict and work to force a ceasefire and end it as soon as possible.
Sudanese people must prepare for a representative post-war transitional government in which there must be mass participation. This structure must be fortified against collapsing before reaching the election stage.
This is what it would take to achieve my dream of participating in free and fair elections, in which I vote for the party that represents my aspirations. We cannot let warlords rule us again, just as we cannot allow bad politics and old mistakes to prevail.
It is up to my generation of youth to end this vicious circle of military coups, once and for all.
In the past, the Sudanese succeeded in expelling the colonialists and liberating their country. They experienced a peaceful revolution witnessed by the whole world — and they also bore the heavy consequences of faulty policies. If we could do all this, then we are able to do better this time around.
The longer the conflict is sustained, the worse the situation gets. It is crucial for all political actors and stakeholders to pursue the end of this absurd war as soon as possible. Any solution that doesn’t push the military and the paramilitary, as well as the rebel groups, out of politics will lead to a repeat of past mistakes.
Saeed Abdalla is a Sudanese-born foreign correspondent and Mandarin scholar. He is based in Johannesburg and has a keen interest in Chinese-African affairs.
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