"Sudan's Political Turmoil: A Timeline of Protests, Uprisings, and Turbulence"

2023-04-17 05:50:18

Fighting continues in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after the fighting entered its third day, and more than 97 people were killed and hundreds injured, amid fears of a long conflict that could deepen the state of chaos in the country.

The following is a timeline of political turmoil in Sudan in the past years at a time when the country is in crisis due to fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces:

December 19, 2018 – Hundreds protest in the northern city of Atbara against the high price of bread. The demonstrations, prompted by a broader economic crisis, quickly spread to Khartoum and other cities. Security forces respond with tear gas and gunfire.
April 6, 2019 – Hundreds of thousands of protesters start a sit-in in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum. After 5 days, the army overthrows President Omar Al-Bashir and detains him, ending his 3-decade rule. While the demonstrators continue to sit-in to demand the handover of power to civilians.
June 3, 2019 – Security forces raided the sit-in in front of the army headquarters. Medics linked to the opposition say more than 100 people were killed in the raid.
August 17, 2019 – Civilian forces supporting the uprising sign a power-sharing agreement with the military during a transitional period leading up to elections. Abdullah Hamdok, an economist and former UN official, will be appointed to head the government later in the month.
August 31, 2020 – The transitional authorities reach a peace agreement with some rebel groups from the troubled western region of Darfur and from the southern regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, but two main groups reject the agreement.
June 30, 2021 – Sudan receives approval to forgive at least $56 billion in foreign debt after carrying out economic reforms under the supervision of the International Monetary Fund.
October 25, 2021 – Security forces arrest Hamdok and several civilian leaders in pre-dawn raids, after weeks of accusations between civil and military forces. And the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, announces the dissolution of the civil government and other transitional bodies.
November 21, 2021 – After several mass rallies protesting the events of October and the suspension of most international financial support for Sudan, military leaders and Hamdok announce an agreement to reappoint him as prime minister. Hamdok says he returned to prevent further bloodshed and protect economic reforms, but he resigns after less than two months as protests continue.
16 June 2022 – The United Nations World Food Program says more than a third of Sudan’s population faces acute food insecurity due to factors including economic and political crises, climatic conditions and conflicts.
October 25, 2022 – Huge crowds take to the streets of Sudan on the first anniversary of the October events, in one of the largest rallies in the anti-military demonstrations campaign. In Khartoum, demonstrators are facing tear gas and stun grenades, while a civilian has been killed in the neighboring city of Omdurman, which is the 119th death case during the protests, according to medics.
December 5, 2022 – A framework agreement is signed between civilian forces and the army to start a new two-year political transition process and appoint a civilian government.
April 5, 2023 – The signing of the final agreement for the transitional phase is postponed for the second time, amid disagreements over whether to bring the army under civilian oversight and over plans to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the armed forces.
April 13, 2023 – Sudan’s military says mobilizing the RSF runs the risk of confrontation. Two days later, clashes erupt between the two sides in Khartoum and other cities. The RSF says it has taken control of key strategic sites, but the army denies this.