BY DANIEL SAENZ
While the rest of the Middle East and North Africa are still coming to grips with the aftermath of the Arab Spring, there appears to be a new revolution on the horizon. After already being the center of the Darfur genocide and the subsequent division of the country into Sudan and South Sudan, citizens are finally breaking out in protests against the rule of Omar Al Bashir, who has been the president of Sudan since 1993.
Omar was the main architect of the genocide in Darfur in 2003. The Darfur Genocide was a series of killings that took place on the western side of Sudan. During a fight against rebel groups such as the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the government hired an Arab militant group called the Janjaweed.
The Janjaweed began to rape, murder, and torture civilians in the region. They also polluted the water and burned down villages. By the end of the conflict, 300,000 people were killed and over 2.7 million were displaced. In March of 2009, the International Criminal Court charged Bashir with two counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity. In July 2010, the ICC renewed these charges and put out a second arrest warrant for Bashir. Nonetheless, Sudan did not comply and for the longest time, it appeared as if Bashir would hold strong on his iron grip over Sudan until his death.
The United States annulled two decades worth of sanctions, which could possibly have led to new investment in the poverty-stricken nation. In an obvious sign of contempt for the international community, Omar even visited Assad in Syria in the middle of a destructive campaign against civilians and even sent Janjaweed to Yemen, a failed state that becomes a global tragedy. So for the longest time, Bashir appeared to be untouchable.
However, once Bashir decided to end subsidies for gas and wheat subsidies, people began to protest. Despite national headlines, this was not simply a protest over bread prices. Rather, it is the culmination of resentment over Bashir’s corruption that has kept him in power for so long despite his human rights violations as well as his economic blunders that left the country impoverished.
As is typical of any tyrant under threat of losing power, the government proceeded to use tear gas on protestors, while killing over 28 and arresting 14 leaders of protests. Internet service, along with social media, was blocked. Now, the future is uncertain for the regime. Further complicating matters is the fact that China has been a long-time economic partner with Sudan. So unfortunately, it is really a matter of whether or not China decides to respect the process. Given the fact that Bashir is an indicted war criminal, the global community should stand behind the protestors.