It has become commonplace among cynical commentators to say that the Arab Spring of 2011 and 2012 has come to nought. But while repression has certainly solidified in Cairo and Damascus, democratic reverberations are still being felt in places like Algiers and particularly in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
Sudan has witnessed months of incredible bravery by thousands of protesters led mostly by women and the young. They have withstood brutal assaults from the police and the notorious Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that grew out of the Janjaweed militia of Darfur genocide infamy.
