Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the dictator of Sudan, has been overthrown by the Army after months of escalating protests against his rule. Bashir survived decades of internal and international opposition, including indictment for war crimes because of actions taken by his troops in the rebellious region of Darfur. What finally undid him? The tripling of bread prices. And why did his government have to cut back on the bread subsidy? Because Bashir agreed to a peace deal with South Sudan that allowed the South to hold onto many of the nation's oil wells.
I'm happy to see the man fall from power, but let's not pretend it was because most Sudanese were appalled by his violations of human rights.
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I'm happy to see the man fall from power, but let's not pretend it was because most Sudanese were appalled by his violations of human rights.
I imagine many Sudanese were appalled, but the civilian population has historically been pretty powerless to do anything about it. The military kept al-Bashir in power, and so long as he kept their support, not much else mattered.
The cost of bread tripling may have set off civilian protests, but far more importantly it shook the military's faith in their chosen despot. Because while a military can choose to ignore war crimes, oppression, genocide, and worse, it can't choose to ignore hunger. Every army marches on it stomache, and every soldier needs to feed not only themselves but their families. If the best way for them to do that is to oust their chosen despot, that's what they do.
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