Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, has declared a national emergency in Sudan, dissolved his government, and postponed the writing of Constitutional amendments that would allow him to run for another term. Since December, the National Intelligence and Security Service, under Bashir’s order, has killed almost 40 protestors, fired deadly teargas into homes and demonstrations, silenced the people by cutting off the internet. Calls from the Sudanese community in the United States have caused Washington to speak up on the matter, leading to Bashir declaring this national emergency. The declaration is a weak attempt by Bashir to address the criticism of the West but covertly continue what he has been doing for the past 3 months. The national emergency allows Bashir to implement a curfew. Most of the protests with the biggest turnout occur in the evening. With the curfew, Bashir has the legal authority to continue the violence against protesters. The dissolving of his government also means nothing. It is his attempt to silence his critics in the media by shifting the headline to something that may be seen as a positive step forward. The postponement of the constitutional amendments once again has no meaning. Bashir is only putting it off, but he has not said he will step down as head of government. Public support for re-election has no sway on his decisions, considering that the Russians have influenced the elections in his favor, allowing him to stay in power for the past 30 years. The protests in Sudan are almost a copy of the Arab Spring, and that may not be a bad thing. It is time for these African dictators to step down and allow the younger educated progressive generation to take over and move our countries forward into the 21st century. African leaders understand that the youth are the key, which is why, specifically in Sudan, they are jailing the younger professionals, because they have the capability to lead a much needed African uprising.
