Has Arab Spring Finally Arrived in Khartoum?
Sudan at the Tipping Point: Protests in Khartoum May Portend Regime Change, by Eric Reeves
Sudan is in the chaotic throes of what may well be the final act of the National Islamic Front/National Congress Party regime, which next week will have been in power for 23 years. An “Arab Spring” environment, which seemed improbable a year ago, has been created by a confluence of developments—and even the formidable security and military forces of the regime may soon be put to a final test by deeply unhappy Sudanese civilians. At the same time, there is evidence of considerable bitterness within the officer corps over renewed military confrontation with now independent South Sudan; there is also intense dismay within the ranks over the mauling the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have endured in fighting against the forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North in the Nuba Mountains. The army may no longer be the bulwark that it has been for the regime in the past.
Anti-regime protests sweep Sudan’s capital
Riot police fired tear gas and civilians armed with machetes and swords attacked protesters during five days of demonstrations sweeping Khartoum demanding ouster of Sudan’s autocratic ruler, a Sudanese opposition leader said Thursday. Saata Ahmed al-Haj, head of the opposition Sudanese Commission for Defense of Freedoms and Rights, said that hundreds of protesters have been detained over the past five days. He said they were later released but were badly mistreated. Al-Haj said security forces shaved off the protesters’ hair, stripped them naked, flogged them and then left them outside in the scorching sun for hours.
http://articles.boston.com/2012-06-21/news/32354474_1_al-bashir-south-sudan-protests
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