SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Economist – Sudan’s democratic transition is upended by a second coup in two years

25/10/2021: Economist – Sudan’s democratic transition is upended by a second coup in two years

The Economist analyse contributing factors to the military coup in Sudan, with the sequence of events leading to the coup mimicking the 1964 and 1985 democratic revolutions, whereby civilian divisions lay the ground for a coup.

Sudanese army leader Abdulfattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia leader Himedti were “preparing” for the coup by: the Juba peace agreement with rebel groups that “brought more men with guns” into their alliance, alongside amassing greater economic power – with the army taking the business profits of the outlawed former ruling National Congress Party, and the RSF expanding its business interests. Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok’s efforts to rein them in and launch investigations into their roles in massacres “spelt trouble”.

However, the Economist note the risk of Sudan’s “potpourri of militia and security forces turning their guns on each-other”, citing al-Burhan and Himedti’s mutual distrust despite collaborating on the coup.