A symposium entitled “Sudanese Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges” was held at the American University in Cairo (AUC) on July 8th , 2019, with participation of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) represented by Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, Director of the Council; and a number of prominent Sudanese personalities, namely, Mr. Salah Manna, leader in the Forces of Freedom and Change; Mr. El-Shafie Khadr, writer and political activist; Mr. Ibrahim ElBadawi, Managing Director of the Economic Research Forum (ERF). The symposium was moderated by Prof. Hamid Eltigani Ali, a Sudanese Professor at the American University in Cairo (AUC).
Speakers agreed that the Sudanese Revolution was not a Revolution of the Hungry, despite the severity of the ongoing economic crisis; in addition to that, those who revolted were the young people and also women, from all ethnicities, backgrounds and partisan affiliations; all of them fused together in one crucible, so that it can be said that the key players in the Sudanese revolution were the youth who were born under the rule of the authoritarian Muslim Brotherhood Salvation Front; moreover, Omar Al-Bashir’s policies over the past thirty years have turned Sudan into divisions, conflicts and proxy wars which is a serious challenge Sudan will face after the revolution; furthermore, such policies that permitted extremists to participate in government and infiltrate vital authorities of the state, do not only pose threat to security and stability of the country; but to the security and stability of neighboring states as well, especially Egypt.
With regards to the security of the Red Sea region and Sudan as a State of the Nile Basin, his policies have led to exposing this area to dangers, especially after offering to host foreign military bases.