On 10 May 2019 Addis Standard published an in-depth essay by Rashid Abdi comparing the mass protest waves that forced regime change talk in Sudan and Ethiopia in quick succession.
The analysis treated both countries as Horn neighbors whose street politics, security elites, and external patrons shaped how far popular anger could remake the state. Ethiopia’s transition under Abiy Ahmed and Sudan’s uprising against Omar al-Bashir were not copies, but they shared the same restless season.
Abdi’s framing refused easy celebration. Protest can topple a face and still leave the army, the party networks, and the regional spoilers intact.
Kept as Horn politics reference, the Spring in the Horn essay remains a useful twin study from the brief moment when many readers still believed 2019 might open lasting civilian space on both sides of the border.
Sources: Addis Standard