Bloomberg: Sudan is reeling towards democracy

A reporter for the US Bloomberg news agency, Tobin Harshow, interviewed an interviewer for African affairs, Judd Defremont, on the situation in Sudan and the mechanisms of popular movement following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

Harshow described the details of the interview in an article entitled Sudan Leans Towards Democracy. He began with this question: Is there anything worse than being ruled by one of the most brutal monsters in history? In his view, the people of the Sudan, "as far as they are concerned," are at risk.

Commenting on the uprising, Good Dremont said that the "flexibility and solidarity" of Sudan's popular movement was initially promising, but that optimism soon dissipated after more than 100 people were killed in the streets of Khartoum on June 3, June.

He adds that the situation in that country is at a turning point where "the leader of the former Janjaweed militia, Mohammed Hamdan Hamidati," holds his grip on the Transitional Military Council.

Militia leader
"The Transitional Military Council has no real desire for a democratic transition to government," said Defremont, director of the African program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

In response to a question on the proposed transitional period in Sudan, the American researcher claims that the military council has broken all proposals on the time span of four years and three years and began talking about a period of nine months.

Defremont attributes military insistence to less time than the opposition forces of freedom and change suggest, for one reason, that they are in a better position to remain in power if elections are held urgently.

The researcher believes that it is not clear whether the nine-month period is still in place, as the military has apparently not given up on the suspicion yet.

He supports the Sudanese opposition's argument about the time needed for democratization. "It takes some time to educate the masses and develop a process that accommodates everyone, and does not reproduce some of the mistakes that some countries, such as Egypt, have made."

The intervention of Egypt
In response to a question by journalist Tobin Harshow about Egypt's interference in the Sudanese affairs, he said that Cairo wants to see stability on its southern border and may believe that a military government is the best way to achieve political stability.

The Egyptians, in the opinion of the Bloomberg guest, are concerned about the situation that the next government will adopt in Khartoum from the waters of the Nile, especially as Ethiopia begins building the giant Al Nahda Dam. In this regard, he points out that Egypt would like to have a partner in Sudan that would stand by its side with regard to the waters of the Nile.

Bloomberg wonders about the objectives of Saudi Arabia and the UAE behind the support of the Transitional Military Council and their interest in it.

The Sudan, according to Defromont, is an arena used by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to recruit fighters for their war in Yemen, so what is happening in Sudan is very important to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Absence of America
On the future of ousted President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, Defremont believes the Transitional Military Council may be allowed to remain in Sudan or find an exile in a country that does not cooperate with the ICC.

But where is the United States in all the events in Sudan? DeFremont says Washington has been "unfortunately" absent from the scene since Bashir was sacked in April.

According to the American scholar, the United States has been saying things right, but it does not seem effective on the ground. He advises Washington to continue to involve the Gulf states in the dialogue conducted by the US envoy to Sudan, David Halley, with the parties involved in the Sudanese affairs internally and externally.

"What limits the United States' role in the future economic development of Sudan is its inclusion in the list of state sponsors of terrorism," he said.

Defromont claims that Sudan, at its crossroads between Africa and the Middle East, has long been a source of insecurity in the rest of the region.

However, in response to Bloomberg's recent question, he believes that Sudan is a real state of concern if the international community wants sub-Saharan Africa to enjoy peace, or to have a government in Khartoum in the Greater Middle East and in Egyptian politics.