Sudan Through Admonitions Seventy Years of Independence… Lessons of History and the Price of a Dream| Sudanow Magazine

Khartoum (Sudanow)

When Sudan gained its independence on January 1, 1956, it seemed as though history had granted it a rare opportunity: a vast country, rich in resources, diverse in cultures, and theoretically capable of serving as a bridge between Africa and the Arab world. Yet seventy years have passed in which that grand dream has turned into a series of harsh lessons—lessons written not in ink, but in crises, coups, wars, and deferred hopes.

With this introduction, Dr. Yasser Ahmed Ibrahim, writer and documentarian, began his remarks to Sudanow on the lessons and admonitions drawn from seventy years of Sudanese independence, which he summarized as follows:

Lesson One: Political Independence Is Not Enough
The colonizer departed, but the state did not fully shed its legacy. Sudan inherited a fragile administrative apparatus, a divided political elite, and a dependent economy. Independence was a moment of celebration, but not a fully fledged national project. It quickly became evident that freedom without strong institutions can turn into a vacuum, and that sovereignty without a unifying vision may become a burden rather than a blessing.

Lesson Two: When the Military Enters Politics, It Does So Under Compulsion
The military intervenes, ostensibly, to transcend partisan conflicts when red lines of national security are crossed or when political deadlock caused by party rivalries threatens the continuity of civilian government. Since the first military coup in 1958, Sudan has been trapped in a vicious cycle: brief civilian rule followed by longer periods of military rule, then a popular uprising that rekindles hope—only for it to evaporate once again. Undoubtedly, political parties bear primary responsibility; they came to power on the backs of tanks when they failed at the ballot box, unsettling society in the process. Seventy years have shown that this pattern does not build a nation, and that rule by force—or by partisan failure—may impose silence for a time, but it does not create stability.

Lesson Three: Diversity, If Not Governed Wisely, Turns into Conflict
Sudan is a country of diversity par excellence: ethnicities, languages, and cultures. This diversity could have been a source of richness and soft power, but it was neglected, sometimes excluded, and sometimes politically exploited. The result was prolonged civil wars and a painful, bitter division that culminated in the secession of South Sudan in 2011. That separation was not a sudden event, but the outcome of decades of failure to manage differences with justice and wisdom.

Lesson Four: An Economy Cannot Survive on Slogans
Sudan possesses fertile land, abundant water, and mineral wealth, yet poor governance, corruption, sanctions, and wars have exhausted the economy. Citizens have long heard promises of becoming the “breadbasket of the world” while standing in queues for bread and fuel. The Sudanese experience clearly demonstrates that resources alone do not create prosperity; sound policies, transparency, and stability do.

Lesson Five: The People Are the Only Constant
Despite all the setbacks, the Sudanese people have remained present in the national scene—patient, protesting, and hopeful. From the October Revolution of 1964, to the April Intifada of 1985, and then the December 2018 Revolution, there has been much debate over the justifications, motives, and the roles of external intelligence interventions and internal factors. When these events are analyzed away from emotion, some argue that the fall of General Abboud resulted from his expulsion of missionary organizations in the South and policies of Arabization; that the fall of President Nimeiri stemmed from the application of Islamic law; and that the fall of Bashir was due to his refusal to normalize relations with Israel, his pursuit of military industrialization, and the extraction of oil and gold. Others contend that all of this was due to repression of freedoms and corruption. Yet it can be said that Sudanese have proven that awareness does not die, and that the aspiration to build a modern, advanced, and just state is continually renewed. Perhaps this is the most hopeful lesson of all: peoples may be temporarily defeated, but they are never ultimately vanquished.

Lesson Six: Transition Is Harder Than Revolution
Toppling a regime does not necessarily mean building a new one. Transitional periods in Sudan have always been the most fragile, as interests intersect, old and new forces clash, and time is squandered in disputes. The lesson here is that revolutions require patience, national consensus, and institutions capable of protecting them from regression.

Dr. Yasser Ibrahim concludes his remarks to Sudanow by asking: Where to after seventy years?
Seventy years of independence are not merely a number, but a record filled with lessons. Sudan did not fail because its people are incapable, but because its elites have often failed—and recorded their failures—in transforming opportunities into achievements. Today, more than ever, Sudan needs an honest reading of its history, not to lament it, but to learn from it. History, like lessons and admonitions, does not repeat itself in vain. Either we heed the lesson and change course, or we repeat the same mistakes under new names. Sudan, after seventy years of independence, does not need more rhetoric; it needs a new national compact that turns these lessons into a beginning of salvation, not a prelude to another chapter of suffering.

Current Affairs

When Decisions Are Bought: Emirati Financial Influence and the Complication of the Sudanese Crisis Within the African Ho

The Benishangul Region: History and Current Implications

Sudan The Present Absent in IGAD