The military leadership of Sudan has successfully overthrown the civilian government, announcing a coup, and another African country has fallen to the autocratic regime.
The mass arrests are underway in the country right now, and the United States has a big role to play, considering that much is at stake for the Biden administration as well, if the situation remains untackled.
For a long time, Sudan remained on the hit list of the US State Department as America continued accusing the country of state-sponsored terrorism.
US Role in Sudan: Only Hype, no Practical Action
Time and time again, the US has vowed to put tremendous efforts into helping Sudan achieve peace in the country, but at the same time, nothing has been done in practice.
The US had a tough path in maintaining its relations with Sudan under the leadership of former President Omar al-Bashir, who was accused of having deep connections with Osama Bin Laden.
So, the deterioration of the bilateral relations between both countries was imminent in the wake of the 9-11 episodes.
Under Bush’s presidency, the US ignored mending its relations with Sudan on the advice of the first special envoy to the country, who discouraged Bush against owning any peace process in Sudan.
The special envoy was John Danforth, and his presentation to Bush defined the US-Sudan relations in the next twenty years until today.
This ignorance of the superpower against such a highly strategic country is one of the reasons for today’s coup.
This is not the first time that a group of military dictators has overthrown the civilian government in recent times. Just some months ago, a coup occurred in Myanmar as well, and the US failed to intervene in the process in any manner.
Time to Discourage Sudan Military Dictators has Arrived
It is the need of the hour that the US stop any military or financial assistance to the autocratic regime of Sudan. Not accepting the military government at all is one of the ways through which the US and other nations can sanction the new rulers of Sudan.
For instance, currently, no country is accepting the Taliban government, and any aid to the country is given directly to the vulnerable people.
As the global communities have condemned the military coup on Sudan, the US can follow the same model on Sudan, where the foreign assets of the government can be frozen.
Although economically choking the Taliban has sparked international criticism, especially from the human rights watchdogs, the strategy has been highly effective in making sure that global aid is not being used in perpetuating terrorism across the world.
The absence of the United States from the Sudanese political landscape has empowered anti-democratic forces to rise to the top.
Now it is the lesson for the US as well that if it continuously denies good relations with other troubled countries, the same sort of forces will be encouraged there as well, which can kick-off a wave of martial law in many countries.
Sudan dictators need a lesson, which will also serve as a precedent for dictators of other countries, that any coup attempt will be opposed by the global powers.
Final Thoughts
As the protests are erupting in the country right now, the US must monitor things closely, as it could also lead to a civil war.
Amid any coup, the emergence of various political factions within a society is a normal thing, and the same thing can happen in Sudan as well anytime soon.
The groups favoring Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok could be the subject of rigorous violence by the military dictators who are leaving no stone unturned in the manhunt for political rivals.
As a matter of fact, military coups are bound to oppress the supporters of the political parties, and the same can be the case with Sudan as well.
The role of the international organizations will be significant, as they are the ones having great influence over the financial composition of any state.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.