Published on : 31/05/2022 – 01:59
In Sudan, 24 hours following the announcement of the lifting of the state of emergency in the country on Sunday evening, the reactions are mixed. The African Union, the regional organization Igad and the United Nations Mission in Sudan welcome this ” not positive towards a peaceful solution.
On Sunday evening, the number one of the military regime, General al-Burhane, announced the end of the state of emergency imposed during his putsch on October 25, 2021. At the time he also had his civilian partners arrested and dismissed the transitional government. It is an outstretched hand, indicated the leader of the junta, who now pleads for a dialogue with all the political forces.
But it is not an outstretched hand, protests Hamid Murtada who since the start of the protest three years ago, demonstrates every week to demand the departure of the junta. For this young demonstrator, the lifting of the state of emergency will not change the mobilization.
« With or without the state of emergency, the security forces continue to operate illegally. So for us, it makes no difference. We will continue to demonstrate as usual. And we expect the same level of violence and repression. »
Khartoum wants to regain favor with Westerners
The demonstrators refuse any dialogue with the military and demand the return of a civilian government, driven out by the putsch of last October.
In this context, is the political dialogue requested by the junta really possible? Nothing is less certain for the researcher Marc Lavergne. According to him, this announcement is rather intended for the international community. ” The image of Sudan is seriously degraded. This democratic transition has failed. As a result, Sudan’s credibility on the international scene does not allow it to obtain the funds it would need to resolve the economic and social crisis. So it’s a question of playing a game of balance by showing Westerners that Sudan is trying to do what it can to return to a kind of legality. »
It should be noted that this lifting of the state of emergency coincides with the visit to Khartoum this week of the American Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as that of Adama Dieng, UN envoy for human rights.
