When I first visited Sudan, in September 2021, there was wide-scale optimism. The country was en route to democratic elections, and with planned debt relief from the I.M.F., the economy was poised to open to the world. Sudan had been lifted off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and had also signed the Abraham Accords, a cooperation pledge with Israel, whose signatories also included Bahrain, the U.A.E., and Morocco. This was a big deal after 30 years of sanctions and Islamist rule. A month later, all that crumbled overnight when the military took power, shattering the illusions of peace and potential prosperity.
A prominent, nonpolitically affiliated businessman had offered me an opportunity to build something in the private sector that was in line with my studies and my interests, and I decided to take it. I had majored in African studies and political economy in college, and after leaving my hedge-fund job in New York, I consulted for primarily African companies.
