Two articles I think are relevant to this discussion:
http://transitions.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/05/why_we_re_ignoring_the_revolution_in_sudan
{as posted by akon in her previous post}
http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-used-nerve-gas-on-Friday-s,43175
The million dollar question is will Sudan actually 'revolt'{the catchy phrased coined by Aljazeera}?
Why is this not widely covered in the international media?
There are protests.Police and security have cracked down violently.The economy is in free-fall and after 23 years the opposition finally sees an opportunity to overthrow the regime. Sounds simple right?
A few things to consider:
-The protests have not spread widely yet.There is a very real chance that they will at some point.But they haven't yet.The government is very careful not to let the movement catch momentum which in turn leads to little coverage by media outlets which in turn leads to less momentum. Ad infinitum.Also as referenced in the first link,the world has largely painted Sudan as a nation of bigots and 'Arab' oppressors of the 'Black Africans'{which needs its own post}.Any change in this narrative is pretty much swimming against the current
-The opposition in Sudan has been gelded by the government for 23 years.The leaders of the political parties have been jailed,co-opted,bribed,marginalized,ridiculed ,exiled and generally discredited in an endless loop that has most Sudanese regarding them as irrelevant.Hence no viable leadership as an alternative.
-The 'youth movement' {which is a real alternative to stagnant geriatric politicians who would love nothing than to have the government overturned and handed to them}does not have a cohesive and unified voice with a clear platform.
-The economic meltdown has sent prices skyrocketing and people are scrambling to make ends meet .On the cusp of desperation but not yet at the point of nothing-to-lose.After all most people reason that even with a regime change,the economy will not automatically get better{even if,although doubtful,the economic sanctions are dropped}.
This is not to say that the revolution will NOT happen.As history has shown us numerous times,the slightest events can set in motion the revolution.
Last Thursday, I met with two good friends of mine {one who is involved with the girifna movement}who had participated in the Friday protest referenced in the second article.I consider both trustworthy people and both confirmed that the police and security forces cracked down exceptionally hard on the protesters.They were corralled inside the mosque and bombarded with tear gas and rubber bullets for 7 hours and managed to slip out after dark.Dozens were arrested.The thousands referenced in the article were not mentioned{they said hundreds}neither was nerve gas{which obviously would have come up in the conversation}.
This exaggeration is pretty standard for Sudanese opposition leaders and generally leads to their being dismissed.Which is a shame.No exaggeration was needed at all.The crackdown WAS brutal.People DID show up.Another example was a few weeks ago I was in Port Sudan and watching Alarabiyya news channel{a watered down and agenda driven news channel which models itself after Aljazeera} and reports of violent protests raging in Port Sudan were mentioned.I made it a point to go out and ask{Port Sudan is a very small city,you can walk from one end to another in two hours} everybody about the protests.No one saw anything.This forced talk of popular uprising leads people to being skeptical about these protests.
However, who knows what the coming days will bring? People are angry,the country is broke and the government acts with impunity and under the assumption it will not be challenged on its policies.After all there is no time for revolution .
