Sudan’s Military Coup Explained

Sudan’s military seized power on Monday 25 October, dissolving the transitional government after troops arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The coup represents a cynical power grab by a cadre of military officers desperate to preserve the army’s economic privileges and fearful of the accountability that genuine civilian governance will bring. Once again, the Sudanese people flooded the streets to protest the coup chanting for the return to civilian rule. Why did the military coup take place? And what are the prospects for democracy in Sudan now?

Breakfast will be served in Jekteviksbakken 31.
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Panelists:

Salma Abdalla, Sudanese political scientist and researcher based in Norway. She holds a Ph.D. degree in political science from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She worked in several Universities in Europe and has been a member of several international research projects with a focus on transformations in Sudan. Her research interests include religious activism, state-society relationships, and diaspora political engagement. Besides research, Salma has also provided policy advice to Life and Peace Institute in the Horn of Africa, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, and to the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Germany. Salma is currently involved in research projects focusing on political violence and strategies to development transformation.

Liv Tønnessen, Senior Researcher at CMI and Director of Centre on Law and Social Transformation. She is a political scientist researching gender and politics in the Middle East and Northern Africa. She has specialised in Sudanese politics for more than a decade and has conducted extensive fieldworks in the country. She has a wide network of contacts within Sudanese academia, politics, and civil society. Her work has involved long-term collaboration with several research institutions and research partners in Sudan.

Moderator:

Lovise Aalen, Senior Researcher at CMI. Political scientist focusing on democracy, governance and women’s employment and empowerment in the Horn of Africa.

Photo: General, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan,
GETTY IMAGES