SUDAN CRISIS

Sudan began a transition to democracy after a popular uprising and the ouster in April 2019 of President Omar al-Bashir, an Islamist shunned by the West who had presided over the country for nearly three decades. Under an August 2019 agreement, the military is sharing power with officials appointed by civilian political groups in a ruling body known as the Sovereign Council, meant to lead the country to elections by the end of 2023.

The military has accused civilian parties of mismanagement and monopolising power. A coalition of rebel groups and political parties have aligned themselves with the armed forces and have sought to dissolve the civilian cabinet. Authorities said in September they had foiled an attempted
coup, accusing plotters loyal to Bashir.

The cabinet has signed off on handing over suspects, but the Sovereign Council has not. Another is an investigation into the killings of pro-democracy protesters on June 3, 2019, in which military forces are implicated. Activists and civilian groups have been angered by delays in making the investigation’s findings public.

Civilians have also pushed for oversight and restructuring of the military, particularly through the integration of the powerful, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which military leaders have resiste