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1 1 (August 21, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbaut0001 and id is 1 raw text is: $ Congressional Research Service ~~Informith legislative debate s ice 1914 Updated August 21, 2019 Sudan On April 11, 2019, Sudan's military removed President Omar al Bashir from office after three decades in power. Four months of near-daily protests across the country had shaken the government, and in early April, huge crowds gathered in front of the military's headquarters in Khartoum to demand regime change. The protests, triggered by austerity measures amid an economic crisis, were fueled by a range of grievances against the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and Bashir, who took power in a 1989 coup. The demonstrations did not end with Bashir's ouster. When the Transitional Military Council (TMC) that seized power from Bashir defied calls for a swift transfer to civilian rule, protesters staged a sit-in. It lasted for almost two months before security forces violently dispersed it on June 3. Over 100 people were killed in the attack, reportedly led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF, which has roots in the Janjaweed militia and is linked to serious abuses, has been heavily deployed in Khartoum since April. An internet shutdown that began on June 3 lasted over a month, restricting both dissent and business activity. Sudan's military has a long history of intervention in politics (Bashir's 1989 coup was the country's fourth). Military leaders played prominent roles in Bashir's regime, and the extent to which the TMC represents a break from the NCP is debated. The African Union (AU) declared Bashir's overthrow to be another coup d'dtat and, after the June 3 violence, suspended Sudan from the organization. AU and Ethiopian mediators revived negotiations between the TMC and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) a coalition of opposition, civil society, and professional groups. On July 4, after another mass protest, the two sides agreed to a three-year power-sharing arrangement, charting a path toward civilian rule and elections in late 2022. They signed a constitutional charter a month later, and on August 21, the TMC was dissolved and replaced by a joint military- civilian Sovereign Council. A prime minister nominated by the FFC, Abdalla Hamdok, will lead a civilian cabinet; a transitional legislative council is to be formed by November. Major challenges lie ahead. For more detail, see CRS Report R45794, Sudan's Uncertain Transition. With rampant inflation, a foreign currency shortage, and a heavy debt burden, stabilizing the economy is a critical priority for the new government. Arrears of $1.3 billion to the International Monetary Fund restrict Sudan's access to international financing, as does its designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, which supported the TMC, are influential with Sudan's military leaders. The UAE and Saudi Arabia offered $3 billion in aid during the TMC's tenure. As civilian authorities take office, Western donors are now considering how to engage. Congress, which pressed for a civilian-led transition in S.Res. 188, hIttps:!icsr; H.Res. 432, as well as in statements and correspondence, may review options for U.S. support to the transition. Figure I. Sudan Key Facts Sources: CIA World Factbook and IMF data, 2019. Background Sudan, when unified (1956-2011), was Africa's largest country. In 2011, after decades of fighting often broadly described as a conflict between the predominately Muslim Arab north and non-Muslim African south, Sudan split in two. The split did not resolve Sudan's other conflicts; overlapping struggles between security forces and rebels, nomadic and farming communities, and among ethnic groups have caused extensive displacement and suffering. Northern regimes espousing Islamist ideals have dominated government for much of Sudan's post-independence history, despite its diversity, pressing distant provinces to conform to the riverine heartland, rather than accommodating local customs and institutions. Instead of forging a national identity, these policies exacerbated the country's racial, cultural, and religious differences. Attempts to Arabize and Islamize the south sparked insurgencies. Groups in other regions also rose up periodically, citing local grievances. Some in the states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile joined the southern rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The north-south wars took a heavy toll. In 2005, the government and the SPLM signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which enshrined the south's right to self-determination after a six-year interim period. Southern Sudanese voted overwhelmingly in January 2011 to secede and achieved independence in July of that year. South Sudan's secession was a major financial blow to Sudan, which lost 75% of its oil production, two-thirds of export earnings, and over half its fiscal revenues. A bloated security sector budget, mismanagement, and corruption have all compounded Sudan's economic troubles. The International Monetary Fund assesses that U.S. sanctions also undermined economic growth. Major U.S. enforcement actions for sanctions violations in 2014-2015 significantly reduced Sudan's access to U.S. dollars and further impeded its access to international financial markets and institutions. congressgov

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