Are The Protests in Sudan Different This Time?

The New York Times published on 28 January 2019 a commentary titled "The Strong and Beautiful Message of Sudan's Young Protesters" by Nasredeen Abdulbari, Georgetown University Law Center.

The author suggests that the protests are different than others that have occurred since President Omar al-Bashir took power in 1989. They have broken new ground by emboldening the Sudanese to confront religious leaders and institutions that attempted to discourage people from protesting. At the same time, he acknowledges that al-Bashir has a firm grip on the state, and global pressure following the violent repression of protesters has been weak.

In a factual error, the author says US sanctions were lifted in 2017 by the Trump administration. They were only partially lifted; most of the them remain in effect because Sudan has not been removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.