Undoing a Revolution: Sudan and the Politics of Debt

In 2019, a people's revolution ended the thirty-year reign of Sudan's military president Umar al-Bashir. A transitional government took power, led by esteemed international economist Abdalla Hamdok and promising a return to civilian rule. But Sudan's new government quickly imposed a shock therapy program of cuts, privatizations and devaluation, following the diktat of foreign lenders. In 2021, as Sudan grew poorer, the army seized on popular discontent to launch a coup, burying hopes for a democratic transition. But why did Sudan's first civilian government in more than a quarter-century bend to the will of creditors at this crucial moment in the country's history? The answer lies in an unwieldy and unpayable debt burden that has long constricted Sudanese politics and society.