Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir brutally crushed dissent during the three decades he ruled the North African nation. But his overthrow in April hasn’t ushered in peace. Instead, the military council that replaced him is accused of some of the worst-ever violence in the capital, Khartoum. A crackdown on June 3 left more than 100 protesters dead after talks between the military and opposition on forming a civilian government stalled. Now targeted with arrest or worse by a powerful militia, Sudan’s fledgling pro-democracy movement risks being snuffed out.
1. How did Sudan get here?
The coup against Bashir on April 11 followed four months of nationwide protests over soaring prices for food, medicine, fuel and transportation in which scores of people died. When the the 75-year-old ruler, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and genocide in the western region of Darfur, refused to step down, some of his erstwhile allies from the military and security forces pushed him out. They promised to hand over power to civilians within two years, but protesters -- skeptical that a group comprising Bashir’s old guard would deliver democracy -- have kept up demonstrations to demand an immediate transition. A general strike that began June 9 has brought much of Khartoum to a standstill.
......................................................................