CAIRO: Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir has showed a survivor’s talent for using external threats to keep key parts of the public behind him. He is backed by a brutal security machine and a network of interests built on Islamist ideology, economic ties and tribal politics.
At an inauguration of a factory in central Sudan on July 11, Al Bashir ridiculed prospects for an uprising.
“They talk of an Arab Spring. Let me tell them that in Sudan we have a hot summer, a burning hot summer that burns its enemies,” Al Bashir said, waving his cane threateningly.
So far, his prediction has borne true. Some activists fled the country, others are lying low amid the crackdown after protests by thousands raged for more than a week in June, the biggest since the Arab Spring began in late 2010. Under censorship, newspapers are not reporting on the protests.
Under a blanket of fear instilled by security agencies, several activists spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to avoid detention or refused to talk at all.
“I think a popular uprising to topple the regime is not an attractive option to the Sudanese right now,” said Hassan Haj Ali, a Khartoum University political science professor.
Many are wary of new turmoil after the long civil war and are bracing for a worsening economy. Sudanese also remember how unrest against Al Bashir’s predecessors led to military coups, bringing Sudanese “back to square one,” he said.