How to lose a country in one day: The conflict in Sudan and the politics of revolutionary change

This event seeks to highlight the conflict and politics of revolutionary change in Sudan by emphasising the voices that are often ignored or silenced in political processes driven by international and regional interests, the pursuit of non-violent resistance, justice, and accountability, and their aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice remain the driving forces.

Since the December 2019 revolution, the balance of power in Khartoum has been unstable during the transitional period, with the civilian government lacking control over security organs. The decision to form a transitional government with military elements proved to be ill-fated, as they were implicated in human rights violations and sought to protect their economic interests. Furthermore, the international community’s strategy of containment failed in Sudan. Altogether, leading not only to political turmoil and the marginalization of civilian voices but, eventually, the current conflict in Sudan, which started on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The international community’s involvement in Sudan has had mixed results. While some initiatives aimed to support a civilian-led transition, the neighbourhood Resistance Committees (RCs) focused on addressing the immediate concerns of the Sudanese people. They deemed these initiatives inadequate for genuine political transformation. The political actors and observers often failed to understand the dynamics on the ground, while the RCs demonstrated political acumen despite their marginalization.

Understanding the complexities and alternative narratives surrounding political transformation in Sudan is crucial for working towards a future that truly serves the Sudanese people.

SPEAKERS

Professor Khalid Medani - Khalid Mustafa Medani is an associate professor of political science and Islamic Studies and Chair of the African Studies Program at McGill University. He received a BA from Brown University, an MA from Georgetown University, and an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Professor Medani has published widely on the roots of civil conflict and the political economy of Islamist activism in Sudan, informal finance in Somalia, the obstacles to state-building in Iraq, and the role of informal networks in the rise of violent extremism. More recently, his research has focused on the role of youth activism and democratization. He is working on a book manuscript on the prospects and challenges for democracy in Sudan. He previously received a Carnegie Scholar on Islam award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Dr Ali Ali - Dr Ali is a teaching fellow at SOAS, University of London, where he teaches Islamic Law and Islamic Finance Law. His publications cover a wide range of subjects, including Islamic Law, political Islam, and contemporary Islamic thought and philosophy.

His book ‘Ashab-ul Haqq,’ published by Aljazeera in 2014, is a treatise on contemporary political Islam and Islamic movements, which was well received and reviewed in the Arabic press and media. His paper ‘The Role of Islamic Jurisprudence in Finance and Development in The Muslim World,’ which was published by The Company Lawyer in 2010, discusses the effects of classical Islamic jurisprudence on economic policy and regulatory directives in Muslim countries. 

Dr Ali is an active political writer, commentator, and analyst who regularly writes on Sudan, Middle Eastern politics and political economy, and legal and religious reform in Muslim countries.

Hussameldiene Ismael - Dr Husamuddine Ismail is a Sudan-based strategist and econometrician. He has contributed to the 1st National Economic Conference.

He is also a member of the Economic Coalition of the December Revolution, and an active member of Resistance Committees, Revolutionary Charter.

Dr Abdel Salam Sidahmed - Dr Abdel Salam Sidahmed worked as a research associate and lecturer at the British universities of Cambridge & Durham and as an Associate professor at the Canadian University of Windsor, Ontario. He worked for 10 years at Amnesty International as a researcher and then as Program Director for the Middle East & North Africa region.

He joined the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2012 and worked there for nine years, during which he oversaw the establishment of the Yemen country office, held the positions of the Regional Representative of the High Commissioner for the MENA Region, based in Beirut, and was Head of the UN Centre for Human Rights Training and Documentation. Dr Abdel Salam worked as Senior Human Rights Advisor to the Sudanese Prime Minister of the Transitional Government, Abdallah Hamdok, and the Minister of Justice (2020-2021).

Chair - Dr Nada Ali, SOAS University of London 

*This seminar is part of the Sudan Seminar Series.