There have been widespread protests in Sudan for the past couple of days, the protests were over difficult economic conditions that had stricken the country. According to the Washington Post, the protests were mainly about “rising prices and shortages of food and fuel. There has also been a liquidity crunch that forced authorities to limit bank withdrawals and caused long lines at ATMs. A devaluation of the Sudanese pound in October caused a significant spike in inflation, which now stands at around 60 percent, in some cases doubling the price of basic goods.” In Khartoum Sudan’s capital, people have blocked some streets and started burning tires, chanting against the government and calling for al-Bashir’s to step down. Omar al Bashir arrived in power through a 1989 military coup backed by Islamists. The coup overthrew a democratically elected but dysfunctional government led by then prime minister Sadeq al-Mahdi. Prior to the demonstrations, Al Bashir was seeking a new term in office. Lawmakers loyal to him were already campaigning to rally support for constitutional amendments that would allow him to run in the 2020 elections. In all the years that Bashir stood…
