Democratic Palestine : 9 (ص 27)

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Democratic Palestine : 9 (ص 27)

المحتوى

Sudan
in early May, a PFLP delegation headed by Politbureau member
Salah Salah visited Sudan. The delegation had the opportunity to
meet with several ministers in Sudan's new cabinet, as well as with
all the democratic and progressive organizations.
There can be no doubt that the .
overthrow of the Numeiri dictatorship
was an act of the Sudanese people. and
a victory for all national and progressive
forces in the area as well. The critical
questions now posed concern the
character of the new regime and what
policies it will pursue.
Numeiri's demise was something of
a foregone conclusion. Having long ago
put the progressive and popular forces
in opposition to his reactionary policies,
Numeiri this year purged his right-wing
allies, the Muslim Brotherhood. Signific-
ant sectors of the bourgeoisie were
appalled by the regime's corruption,
economic bankruptcy and _ counter-
productive repression. exercised under
the cover of Islamic law. By the end of
1984, the US administration gravely
doubted Numeiri’s ability to manage
Sudan. Some had predicted that the
Reagan administration and/or Mu-
barak’s regime might foment a coup to
insure their interests. in view of Sudan s
strategic location, resources and sup-
port to Camp David. However, the
dynamic that unleashed the April 6th
power change was an entirely different
one, driven forward by the popular upris-
Ing.
As Numeiri flew to visit Reagan, stu-
dent protests erupted against dramatic,
unannounced price increases; they
were joined by broader sectors of the
masses. This was followed by the doc-
tors strike which grew into a general
strike with the stated aim of toppling the
regime. The professionals’ strike
assumed real dimensions as millions of
Sudanese thronged to the streets.
attacking the institutions of the dictator-
ship.
Soldiers and young officers instinc-
tively sympathized with the popular
uprising, having already become disen-
chanted with the regime, chiefly due to
its unjust and unsuccessful war on
South Sudan. Their initial efforts to per-
suade the army leadership to move
against the regime failed. but finally
seeing that Numeiri was doomed, Gen-
eral Swareddahab. Defense Minister
and Army Commander, led a coup on
April 6th.
It can be said that while the people
acted, the generals reacted. Those who
compose the new military council can be
labeled conservative, but they had not
had pivotal roles in relations with the US
or Mubarak’s Egypt. Swareddahab him-
self had only three weeks before
assumed his top posts. previously held
by Numeiri himself. In the Sudanese
army. 60% of the soldiers come from the
South. In view of these facts and the
strength of the popular movement, it is
. difficult to imagine that the new military
council can establish itself as a real dic-
tatorship. What has been occurring
since April 6th is. a struggle within the
bounds of the newly achieved democ-
racy, between the Military Council and
the National Alliance, the coalition of
forces that actually overthrew the
regime.' This struggle has national as
well as class overtones. Its result will
determine the regime’s future course.
To assess the internal balance of power
and what prospects this paints, it is use-
ful to look briefly at the popular struggle
over the years, the state of the main
political forces today, and the changes
now underway.
Struggle traditions
The background for the uprising
that toppled Numeiri is years of popular
struggle. In addition to increasingly fre-
quent, spontaneous revolts of the hun-
gry against escalating food prices (at
least ten this year), there was the persis-
tent organized struggle of progressive
forces such as the Communist Party. Of
special importance is the long tradition
of militant trade union struggle waged by
‘Sudan's relatively developed working
class. Moreover, popular opposition to
the regime in the South had developed
into a full-scale liberation war led by the
Sudanese People’s Liberation Army
(SPLA).
One indication of the workers’
potential was seen in 1981, when a 42-
day strike, initiated by railway workers,
brought the country to a standstill. Ini-
tially Numeiri was forced to backtrack,
but he then retaliated by murdering, fir- .
ing and imprisoning hundreds of labor
activists, especially democrats and
communists. This was one incident in a
recurring pattern: 10,000 workers have
been fired as punishment for militant
activities in the 16 years of Numeiri’s
rule. This massive repression sheds
light on the fact that proletarian organi-
zations were not the apparent leader-
ship of the movement that toppled
Numeiri. Rather professional unions,
which Numeiri never dared hit so hard,
came to the fore in the national interests.
However, the trade unions and progres-
sive forces now have greater freedom of
action. They stand as the ultimate
guarantee that a genuine national »
27

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Democratic Palestine : 9

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