Dabanga Sudan — As Sudan marks the first anniversary of the December revolution, the Sovereign Council and interim government - a tenuous exercise in military-civilian cooperation - is being put to the test by situations within the country, which can often be traced to the legacy of the deposed Al Bashir regime. On the positive side, the Sudanese public are getting used to being able to stage peaceful protests in relative freedom.
Announcements that the entire education system in Sudan is to be overhauled and restructured to reflect the new reality in the country, have been welcomed almost universally. There is less fear for security in many parts of the country, however clashes between civilians displaced by many years of civil war and marauding militiamen still plague Darfur especially.
Most recently, attacks on camps for the displaced and villages near El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, have left more than 70 dead and wounded. The peace talks in the South Sudanese capital of Juba are ongoing, and progress is evident in several of the negotiation tracks.
The Juba dialogue has also eased tensions between the government and the rebels who hold much of the Two Areas South Kordofan and Blue Nile state. This has enabled international organisations such as the World Food Programme to bring-in vital humanitarian aid for the first time in many years. The eyes of Sudan are on Khartoum to ensure that the interim government of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok remains true to the ideals of the revolution.
Government efforts to dismantle the 'deep state' by replacing affiliates of the former regime in positions of power are under scrutiny at home and abroad. Naysayers, especially Islamic fundamentalists hankering back to the former regime, are being called to account, and their media channels gagged. An increasing number of voices within Sudan are joining calls by the international community to transfer deposed dictator Omar Al Bashir and his co-accused cronies to The Hague to face charges of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
