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Like many pro-democracy uprisings, the one in Sudan has had its share of setbacks. An entrenched military, despite having aided the ouster of an unpopular dictator in 2019 and made promises of civilian rule, has killed or arrested hundreds of protesters. Soldiers have wielded sexual violence against women and girls. The latest street confrontations since Jan. 2 hint at a long struggle for freedom.

Yet there is one casualty the putschist generals have failed to claim. It is what some protesters call “the joy of the mawkib.” And it may be central to bringing democracy to this largely Islamic country on the upper Nile.

Mawkib refers to the pro-democracy marches that brought down the 30-year military regime of Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and have continued ever since, often weekly. More than protest rallies, they are celebrations of unity, safety, and a sense of shared responsibility to one another.

“The celebrations are expressed in different manners, like slogans and songs,” explained Mai Azzam, a Sudanese civil society activist and an anthropologist, in a recent essay for the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway. “But they all share one common feature – the spirit of joy. It is not only a celebration of a ‘yet to come’ victory. It is also about creating a collective memory and celebrating unfinished historical revolutions.”

Mawkib allows for the possibility of victory, she writes. That spirit will be needed in Sudan. The country of 44 million people has largely been under military rule since gaining independence in 1956. This has created a tradition of protests that embrace the full range of civilian society – professionals, youth, artists, musicians, and especially women. Given the central role that women have played in Sudan’s protest tradition, the country has a unique opportunity to forge a new model of accommodation between Islam, democracy, and the rights of women.

In recent days, foreign diplomats have visited the capital, Khartoum, to stop the violence and to restore a civilian-led transitional government. The United States has suspended financial aid. In a rare public rebuke, 55 Sudanese judges condemned the military of “the most heinous violations against defenseless protesters.” Given its gun power and its willingness to kill and jail dissidents, the military junta embraces a United Nations call for mediation – perhaps as a chance to buy time. Pro-democracy groups are wary. Further talks risk legitimizing a cabal that has grabbed power through violence and controls much of the country’s wealth. How Sudan creates a certain path toward democracy may hold valuable lessons for other societies challenging military rule.

One outcome is already certain. Facing down violence with daily demonstrations of unity and determined joy, protesters have already won a battle for the legitimacy of civilian rule. That spirit may yet win converts in the military ranks and eventually prove that guns are not as powerful as the rightful ideals of the protesters.