Russia calls for an end to interference in Sudan's internal affairs and expects the countries involved to realize their responsibility for such actions, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
"We proceed from the premise that any interference in the internal affairs of this country, as well as other countries, must cease. The Sudanese people must determine their own fate. You know that this is our fundamental principle both with regard to the situation in this country and to other countries. This principle is based on international law, the UN Charter. We expect that all those who are trying to oppose this principle, are fully aware of the responsibility for the fate of the state and the people whose lives they intend to remake by their own standards," Zakharova said.
She recalled that a number of outside players, "above all the United States," decided that Sudanese people would be better off living in two different states. "A campaign of outside interference began, approaches were imposed on this or that question, how the Sudanese could arrange their democracy in the Western sense of the word. <...> In general, there is a result, the traditional structure of Sudanese society is now under serious strain," summed up the representative of the Russian foreign ministry.
After the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the Sudanese hoped that the country would quickly overcome poverty, corruption and lawlessness. Two and a half years later, however, it has become clear that Sudan, which has lived for years in internal strife, internecine strife, and armed conflict, will not quickly overcome a severe political and economic crisis. The pace of reforms is not satisfactory to the Sudanese, who have not improved their lives despite a number of reforms.
On October 15, prime minister Abdallah Hamduk unveiled a road map to reduce the growing tension between the government and the military. The very next day, however, anti-government protesters took to the streets of Khartoum, trying to strike a balance between the military and the civilian forces. Over the past seven decades, the Sudanese army has made nearly two dozen coup attempts, three of which were successful. The most recent one was carried out in late September by al-Bashir's supporters.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry / TASS
Based on materials from TASS