While we were busy celebrating Thanksgiving, Sudanese authorities arrested thirteen people suspected of plotting a coup to overthrow the government. The state-owned and state-run radio station, Radio Omdurman, claimed that authorities had uncovered a "subversive plot" that was "uncovered and aborted". Further details are currently hard to come by in the repressive state, although one of the men arrested was Lieutenant Salah Abdallah Gosh, the former director of National Security and Intelligence Services for the Sudanese government. He was fired and expelled from the President's inner circle last April after he criticized the government. Gosh's current location is a mystery.
Although the tense and violent situation in DRC dominates the news right now, other African countries continue to experience political disorder and corruption. The reasons for Lt. Gosh's arrest are unknown, but one could propose a variety of theories. He could have, in fact, been planning to overthrow the government in the spirit of democracy, supported by those in the population who protested last summer after being inspired by the Arab Spring. Gosh's aims could have instead been driven by greed and an interest in personal gain from Sudan's oil revenues and the power of the state. There may not have been any plot at all--Gosh could simply have been perceived as a threat and eliminated preemptively, a strategy frequently seen in authoritarian regimes. The lack of transparency and mistrust of state-controlled media makes it difficult to know exactly what is going on in these regimes, but it is important to continue to monitor the situation, particularly given Sudan's proximity to the Middle East and its Arab Spring counterparts. Sudan remains vulnerable given its relatively recent upheaval after the breakup with Southern Sudan.
Source: "Sudan: 13 Arrested on Charges of Plotting Coup." NY Times Online. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/world/africa/sudan-13-arrested-on-charges-of-plotting-coup.html?adxnnl=1&ref=africa&adxnnlx=1354132814-2p7TJXPSuSAexcR8XXY56g
I wish the people could know the real reason for Lt gosh's arrest. So many of these regimes seem to only care about two things power and wealth. they go hand in hand with another. I hate to be glass half empty but my first thought was that Gosh was a potential threat and taken out before he could gain any power. The Sudan Government did what they needed, to stay in power which allows them to keep receiving their wealth.
ReplyDeleteI like the way that you present some of the potential reasons for Lt. Gosh's disappearance however, I believe that reason may not be that important. The fact that an individual that simply has the potential to show opposition can disappear in the middle of the night shows an already fatal issue in Democracy. Stories like this have surfaced in many different countries like Russia:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/world/europe/anti-putin-protesters-march-in-moscow-russia.html
Sometimes, these types of disappearances can serve as a tool to call a population into arms, or as an effective means of opposition oppression. It will be interesting to see the situation play out in Sudan.