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There isn’t much good news in the world these days, but a potential bright spot is Sudan. The U.S. has a chance to pull the northeast African nation closer to the West if it doesn’t blow the moment.
The opening comes from the fall last year of Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for 30 years and turned Sudan into a pariah state. Mass protests led to his arrest last year, and a transitional government has taken power. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is a respected technocrat, and a Sovereign Council includes civilians and military officials. The government says elections will come in 2022.
Problematic figures have retained some power, but Mr. Hamdok has broken an infamous security service and repealed restrictive Islamic laws. The press and broader civil society have more space to operate. Mr. Hamdok survived an assassination attempt by Islamic militants this year, and the generals who ousted Mr. Bashir aren’t committed democrats.