Sudanese Bashir fights for survival as protests spread

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir does not hide his disdain for young men and women who have been protesting for more than a month to demand the end of his three years of government.

Addressing the soldiers this month, Bashir, a 75-year-old former paratrooper who took power by a bloodless state coup in 1989, warned the "rats to return to their homes." holes "and said that he would only pbad to one side for another officer of the army. l & # 39; urn.

"They said that they wanted the army to take power. This is not a problem. If someone arrives wearing khaki, we see no objection, "said Bashir, dressed in his military uniform, on a base in Atbara, the northern Sudanese town where protests began. .

"When the army moves, it does not move in the void. He does not move to support the traitors. It goes in the direction of the motherland, "he added in Arabic.

Bashir has long been a divisive figure.

Since taking office in what was then the largest country in Africa, he has waged a long civil war with the southern rebels, which eventually led to the secession of southern Sudan in 2011 and the loss of more than 70% of its oil.

Sudan has suffered long periods of isolation since 1993, when the United States added Bashir's government to the list of sponsors of terrorism hosting Islamist militants. Washington followed with sanctions four years later.

Bashir was also indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for alleged genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan during an insurgency that began in 2003.

He now faces an almost daily challenge at home in towns and villages across the country, protests that are spreading despite mbad arrests and fierce crackdowns by tear gas and live ammunition.

According to the authorities, at least 30 people died in unrest that began on December 19 after the government attempted to raise bread prices, while human rights groups and Local opposition members said at least 45 people had been killed. Hundreds of people were injured and hundreds more were arrested.

"The ongoing protests represent Bashir's most important and profound challenge to power, as they indicate that the crisis has reached a new level," said badyst Khalid al-Tijani.

Economic collapse

Bashir's critics blame him for the marginalization of Sudan and the economic crisis that caused inflation reaching 72% by the end of 2018 and prevented the country from paying for food imports.

Supporters accuse Western conspiracy to undermine Islamist power in Sudan, just as Bashir rejected the ICC's Darfur accusations as part of a neo-colonialist plot.

In the months leading up to the protests, the Sudanese were already struggling to make ends meet. The government has attempted to introduce reforms, devaluing the Sudanese pound and easing import restrictions, all with little effect.

The government was hoping for quick financial support from the rich Arab Gulf allies after Bashir sent troops to Yemen as part of a Saudi-led alliance fighting rebels lined up in Iran, but help was slow to arrive.

The wave of protests was triggered by a government attempt to introduce unsubsidized bread, allowing bakeries to sell at a higher price. This was in addition to the crippling and long-lasting crisis that had led to shortages of fuel and bank notes.

The demonstrations quickly turned to politics, targeting the ruling party offices and demanding the resignation of Bashir.

Unlike previous unrest, the protests spread to parts of the country normally loyal to Bashir – and the brutal reaction has so far failed to halt the spread.

Security forces mainly used tear gas and stun grenades to try to cancel the demonstrations, but local protesters and human rights groups also documented the use of live ammunition.

Protesters often repeat a song: "Down, that's all." Others shout "Down with Keezan," pejorative name used to describe Islamists.

From modest beginnings

Bashir was born on January 1, 1944 into a poor peasant family in Hosh Bannaga, a small village consisting mainly of mud houses and dusty streets on the east bank of the Nile, about 150 km north of the capital Khartoum. .

He often played his modest debut. Earlier this month, he repeated a story that he had told in 2013, that he had broken a tooth while he was carrying concrete on a construction site where he was worked as a student to pay for his studies.

Bashir stated that he had refused a silver dental implant when he entered the army because he wanted to remember this incident every time he looked at himself in the mirror.

A graduate of the Sudanese military academy in 1967, Bashir served in the Sudanese contingent sent to Egypt to participate in the war against Israel that began after the Six Day War in 1967.

A young officer in the paratroopers' regiment, he joined the armed wing of the Islamist Movement, which separated from the Muslim Brotherhood and led Sudan since Bashir took office.

The head of the junta who took power in 1989, Bashir dissolved the military council in 1993 and has since ruled with an iron fist, accused by human rights groups of violence and torture to get rid of of his political opponents.

The legacy of Darfur

But it was Bashir's reaction to the rebellion in West Darfur that ultimately defined his legacy.

Facing an ICC arrest warrant concerning the death of about 300,000 people in Darfur, Bashir has focused on his survival, clinging to power to protect himself from harm. A similar trial to that of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Defying the ICC, Bashir continued to visit foreign states friends while he was trying to demonstrate that he was not intimidated by the international arrest warrant issued by the court.

Bashir tried to play on regional and international differences to improve Sudan's position. In 2013, he hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in Khartoum.

Two years later, Bashir joined a Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen's civil war as part of a strategy to contain Iran's growing influence.

Bashir also courted Turkey and Russia, just as Khartoum was strengthening security cooperation with Washington – hoping to accelerate the country's emergence in decades of US sanctions that were lifted in 2017.

Now, to face the biggest challenge against his government to date, Bashir will rely on the unwavering support of the security institution he has been nurturing for 30 years to bring it to fruition.

"We tell young people that this country is yours, protect it, and it goes up in smoke, we will not be refugees, we will die here," he said this month, dressed from her white dress and waving her cane.

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