Sudan after 30 years of Dictatorship
By: V-Dem Staff
Mar 06, 2019
Since mid-December large-scale, peaceful protests are shaking-up Sudan. After 30 years of dictatorship, citizens demand an end of president Omar Al-Bashir’s rule and a transition to democracy. According to V-Dem data, Sudan is one of the most autocratic countries in Africa. After Omar Al-Bashir took power in a military coup in 1989, repression of Civil Society Organizations, media censorship and torture became the norm in Sudan as the graph below illustrates. Even the slight political opening after the peace deal with Southern Sudan in 2005 did not initiate meaningful democratic reform.
With its ongoing violent crackdown against the peaceful opposition movement, the Sudanese government reveals once more its disregard for democratic norms and standards. According to BBC, dozens of protesters have been shot dead. On February 22, the regime has declared a state of emergency and dissolved federal and state governments. While this drastic move has not stopped protesters from taking the streets, it signals that the regime is willing to use even more violence and repression. The international community is urged to act swiftly in order to prevent the death and suffering of more Sudanese citizens.
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