Kaizen is supporting the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives by staffing a senior transition advisor to engage program partners in programming that empowers Sudan’s civil society to return the country to the path of democratic transition.
Sudan is one of the largest and highest-profile programs currently implemented by USAID in the Southern and Eastern Africa (SEA) region. Sudan had been in the early stages of a once-in-a-generation transition to democracy, as evidenced by the August 2019 transfer of power to a civilian-led government after 30 years of military rule. The regime of al-Bashir, which came to power in 1989 through a coup d’état, had long curtailed the freedoms of civil society, media, political parties, and other potential sources of opposition in Sudan. In addition to political oppression, al-Bashir’s rule was characterized by civil war, genocide, corruption, economic mismanagement, and marginalization of regional, religious, and ethnic groups.
Highlights
- Leverage technical assistance programming through grants, short-term support
- Provide senior transition advisor to work with partners
- Strengthen civic engagement expand independent media
By removing al-Bashir, the protest movement addressed Sudan’s immediate political issues, but it did not dismantle the regime. In the wake of the 2023 outbreak of hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, this transition process was sidelined, and violence and instability have taken root. Considering these events, the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives’ (OTI’s) Sudan programs are reestablishing operations in country and assessing windows of opportunity to support two ongoing objectives:
- Strengthening civic engagement
- Expanding independent media
Kaizen’s senior transition advisor is taking a leading role in working with OTI’s two implementing partners, Chemonics and DT Global, to identify opportunities and develop programming that serves these objectives within this complex, volatile, and ever-changing environment.
At a glance
Client
USAID/CPS/OTI
Status
Active
Location
Sudan
Services
Peace, stabilization, and resilience