The Reproduction of Ethnic Conflict in Sudan through Memory Politics : A Political Discourse Analysis

For over fifty years, Sudan has experienced recurring ethnic conflict marked by cycles of violence and fragile peace agreements.This article argues that memory politics, understood as the selective remembering, forgetting, and narration of the past, has produced and reproduced ethnic conflict from the colonial era to Omar al-Bashir's presidency.Using political discourse analysis, it traces how colonial classifications were revived by the Tajammu al-Arabi, institutionalised by the National Islamic Front and National Congress Party, and weaponised in al-Bashir's speeches and interviews.Across these contexts, elites mobilised strategies of selective remembrance, selective forgetting, and narrative domination to elevate Arab-Islamic identity while marginalising non-Arab/African communities.These discursive practices not only reinforced symbolic hierarchies but also undermined successive peace agreements in Darfur, the Abuja Agreement (2006), Doha Agreement (2011), and Juba Agreement (2020), which introduced institutional reforms but left unresolved struggles over recognition and belonging.The findings suggest that elite discourse structured both the reproduction of violence and fragility of peace, underscoring memory politics as a crucial dimension of Sudan's conflict dynamics.