After three decades of a crooked and genocidal regime, Omar al-Bashir finally faces trial in Sudan
IT WAS A stunning and satisfying sight for many Sudanese. For nearly three decades Omar al-Bashir led a crooked and genocidal regime in Sudan. On August 19th, four months after being ousted in a coup, Mr Bashir sat in a cage in a Sudanese courtroom. It was the first day of his trial for corruption. When asked where he lived, Mr Bashir seemed amused by his comeuppance. “Formerly the airport district, at army headquarters, but now Kobar prison,” he said with a laugh.
Sudan is entering a new chapter, and the trial of Mr Bashir is only part of it. A day earlier, after months of negotiations, the military junta that has run things since the coup agreed to share power with civilian leaders. A transitional government led by Abdalla Hamdok, an economist, is expected to take over on September 1st. If all goes well elections will be held in 2022. News of the deal caused the streets of the capital to erupt in celebration.
The appointment of Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo to the council is particularly worrying. The paramilitary commander is said to be one of the richest men in Sudan, having strong-armed his way into the gold business. He is also intensely feared. His Rapid Support Forces grew out of the Janjaweed, a militia responsible for genocide in Darfur. The RSF led a bloody crackdown on protesters in June, killing more than 100. The generals may fear that real reform will lead to accountability.
Sudan is huge and disunited. Rebel leaders in Darfur, Blue Nile state and South Kordofan rejected the power-sharing agreement, arguing that it did too little to accommodate them. The generals have tried to cut separate deals with these groups, undermining the civilian-led authority. “Given the junta’s desire to divide and rule, the civilian opposition cannot afford to be seen as excluding the rebels from the transition,” says the International Crisis Group, a think-tank.
The new government faces immediate challenges, not least a collapsing economy. It will try to convince America to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terror, which would open it up to foreign investment. The IMF and World Bank might then help Sudan deal with a mountain of public debt. All that will take time. Meanwhile, the Sudanese are suffering from shortages of food, fuel and electricity.
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