Sudan’s new supporters

UAE, Turkey, Qatar, Russia pledge economic support for Sudan's embattled government after protests erupted against the Omar al-Bashir administration.

Sudan has been criticised from all quarters ever since the civil war broke out and President Bashir has been accused of war crimes by the European Court of Human Rights. 

Background 

Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea to the east, Ethiopia to the southeast, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, and Libya to the northwest. It houses 37 million people and occupies a total area of 1,861,484 square kilometres (718,722 square miles), making it the third-largest country in Africa.

The 20th century saw the growth of Sudanese nationalism and in 1953 Britain granted Sudan self-government. Independence was proclaimed on January 1, 1956. Since independence, Sudan has been ruled by a series of unstable parliamentary governments and military regimes.               

Since 2011, Sudan's government has been engaged in a war with the Sudan Revolutionary Front. Human rights violations, religious persecution and allegations that Sudan had been a safe haven for terrorists isolated the country from most of the international community. In 1995, the United Nations (UN) imposed sanctions against Sudan.

On December 19, 2018, massive protests began after a government decision to triple the price of goods at a time when the country is suffering an acute shortage of foreign currency and inflation of 70 percent. In addition, President al-Bashir, who has been in power for more than 30 years, refused to step down, resulting in the convergence of opposition groups to form a united coalition. The government retaliated by arresting more than 800 opposition figures and protesters, leading to the death of approximately 40 people according to the Human Rights Watch. The protests have continued up to the present time.

Analysis 

Sudan’s government has received much needed economic support from the United Arab Emirates, in addition to offers of support from Qatar, Russia and Turkey, even as fresh protests are planned for Thursday.

Following more than a month of anti-government protests, Sudan’s oil minister, Azhari Abdel Qader, said on Wednesday, that the support included offers of “fuel, wheat and others” from Turkey and Russia. “We accepted it as a normal matter between friendly countries in light of the current circumstances that Sudan is going through,” he said of the aid, which included unspecified help from the UAE.

The minister did not give further details on the scale or timing of the support. Bashir met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha on Wednesday during his first trip abroad since the protests began.

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed said Bashir had discussed with the Qatari emir “the current economic crisis experienced by Sudan and Sudan’s efforts to get out of the crisis, and the role of brothers in general, and Qatar in particular, to help Sudan.”“Qatar reiterated its firm and continuous support for Sudan,” he said, speaking to reporters at Khartoum airport after Bashir’s return.   

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), a group of trade unionists who have been leading the protests, called for demonstrators to gather in 17 areas of the capital Khartoum on Thursday and march to the presidential palace. The call was the largest since the protests began. Jumaa said those calling for the Thursday protests were “politicians” seeking to hijack the protests for political aims.

Security forces have used tear gas and sometimes live ammunition to break up the demonstrations, as well as arresting protesters and opposition figures. The official death toll from over a month of unrest stands at 26, including two security personnel. Rights groups say at least 40 have died.

About 150 engineers protested outside the Engineers Club in Khartoum on Wednesday afternoon, carrying signs reading “Leave”, witnesses said.

Assessment 

Our assessment is that four countries who have publicly backed Sudan are all eager to gain valuable influence over resource-rich African countries. We believe that UAE, Turkey, Russia and Qatar are attempting to balance the US-China domination on the continent which has resulted in an enormous economic benefit to both countries.