Sudan's 2019 Protests Bring Back Memories of 1985 Government Fall

The Washington Post published on 5 February 2019 a commentary titled "What Sudan's Uprisings Says about the Nation's Past--and the Arab World's Future" by David B. Ottaway, Woodrow Wilson Center.

Harking back to the overthrow in 1985 of President Jafaar Nimeri following street protests in Khartoum, the author says the circumstances surrounding his downfall and those threatening President Omar al-Bashir with the same fate are quite similar.

I was in Khartoum during the fall of Nimeri and agree that the circumstances today are surprisingly similar to those in 1985. There is, however, at least one important difference. Al-Bashir learned from the events in 1985 and has made a much greater effort to ensure the loyalty of the security services. Unless and until there are cracks in the security apparatus, he may be able to hold on.