Caught in a long civil war between rival generals, the ordinary people of Sudan have begun to chart their own path to a peaceful democracy. Last week, a broad array of citizens and civil leaders gathered in neighboring Ethiopia to set a model of inclusivity for their diverse country bordering the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa.
They included representatives from every state and large delegations of women and people displaced by the war. Called Tagadum, based on the Arabic word for “progress,” the gathering also included political parties, military factions, trade unions, and professional organizations.
Their road map to civilian rule, adopted after four days of dialogue, has familiar elements. It calls for a cease-fire, protection of civilians, delivery of humanitarian aid, and a return of the military to its barracks. Yet the sharper tools in Tagadum’s tool kit are mental.
Members start with humility and a commitment to democratic equality. “The conference did not detail how the conference would be held so as not to separate others,” Abdalla Hamdok, chairman of the assembly, said in his remarks. Sudan’s last civilian prime minister, Mr. Hamdok was deposed in a 2021 coup by the generals now warring against each other.
“Let us sit together … to stop the war and restore the democratic civil order,” he stated.
The visionary framework that this civilian assembly seeks to sign with both warring factions rests on other values, too. It espouses reconciliation and justice through postconflict truth-telling. It rejects ethnic hatred in favor of freedom of religion and respect for individuality and cultural diversity. And it emphasizes the role that women bring to restoring societies torn by conflict.
Most of all, it does not regard the rebellious generals as enemies but as partners in peace who are willing to serve elected civilian leaders.
“The norms that uphold democratic values are an extremely important part of a healthy system of civil-military relations,” noted a 2021 study in the Texas National Security Review. The study found that a soldier’s honor in serving a nation is a greater adhesive in the military than material incentives. In predominantly Arab societies like Sudan and in many African cultures, honor is rooted in respect for others, integrity, and compassion.
Civilians bear the brunt of war, yet often is it they who are the agents of healing and democratic renewal. In Haiti, for example, a citizen-led coalition wrote the blueprint on how to guide a fledgling civilian-led transitional council in the gang-ruled country.
In Sudan, neither coups nor civil war has dampened a popular demand for democracy. In their pursuit of peace, citizens are showing that the weapons of war are not equal to civic values that unite people with an enduring identity.