What led to a coup in Sudan?

More than two years after the uprising in Sudan led to the ouster of longtime autocratic leader Omar al-Bashir, a military coup that shocked the world on Monday is set to create ripples across the fragile nation that is on verge of power transition to adopt democracy. The coup that led to the detention of superior leaders of Sudan and prime minister Abdalla Hamdok followed months of simmering tension between military forces and civilian bodies.

On Monday, the Sudanese military forces dissolved the transition government led by acting prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and the Sovereign Council that had been ruling the North African country since late 2019. Declaring a state of emergency, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan announced that the military would hold power until elections that are to be held in July 2023. 

The pro-democracy movement in Sudan - that was an amalgamation of forces by professional unions, youth groups, and political parties – was successful in the removal of Bashir in 2019. But the real battle remained of removing the military from politics completely. Right after Bashir was ousted, the military seized the power but civilians remained on the streets protesting and demanding the power to be given to them. Bashir had risen to power in 1989 after a coup and ruled Sudan with an iron grip for 30 long years, with backing from Islamists and the military. Since 2019, the streets of Sudan have seen unprecedented bloodshed and attacks on civilians as the war for power continued. 

Eventually, Sovereign Council was formed as a compromise by the military. The council was constituted of both civilians and military officers, that was to rule the country until democratic elections were held in Sudan. This compromise came as a relief for Sudan as the world saw a glimmer of hope for the country. The USA removed Sudan from its list of nations supporting terrorism. 

In November, a civilian was to step up as Council head and would be running for the 2023 elections. Tensions were mounting up for months between the Council members. The Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change (FDFC), the main protest umbrella group, has been calling out the military to hand Sudan’s leadership to civilians in the government. In response, military supporters have been bolstering action in counter – a perfect recipe for conflict, that can be pointed out as a stepping stone to the coup.