All Eyes on Sudan
Photo Caption and Credit: General General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan (Wikipedia)
On October 25, Sudan's military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, launched a hostile takeover of the country's government. In the days prior, Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Envoy for the Horn of Africa, had been told that despite deep fissures between military and civilian leadership, the Sudanese military would not block the country's democratic transition. Satisfied with those assurances, Mr. Feltman boarded a flight to Qatar. By the time he landed, Sudan was in the midst of a military coup.
The long road to democracy. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok have shared power since 2019 to avoid the civil unrest and extreme violence that marked the regime of the ousted previous leader, Omar al-Bashir. Under this power sharing agreement between military and civilian leaders, Sudan is expected to hold a democratic election in 2024. Will this still occur? Perhaps, but since late October, the military has detained all civilian leaders. However, thanks to unrelenting international pressure, some have been released in the last 24 hours.
Most people support civilian leadership. Tens of thousands have been marching and advocating for civilian democratic governance. On Facebook, the Sudanese Professionals Association wrote, “power and wealth belongs to the people. No to a military coup.” While their message of shared purpose dominates the zeitgeist, some people, largely men, have countered with pro-military demonstrations as well. Deutsche Welle (DW) spoke to pro-military supporters who cited issues with poor quality healthcare and the rising cost of living for reasons to back a military takeover.
The military has responded with violence. After the military seized power last Monday, people poured into the streets of Khartoum demanding answers and accountability. The military responded with force instead of diplomacy. Families are grieving the loss of loved ones who were killed during the initial protests, while others are recovering from their injuries. In this video that circulated widely on Twitter last week, you will see Sudanese security forces firing on peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Khartoum. Warning: if you play the video with sound, you will hear rapid gunfire.
Women are being targeted. The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council is deeply concerned about the ongoing military coup, particularly with allegations of women being targeted. When discussing the situation with the Council, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, detailed reports of a raid on a women's student dormitory next to military headquarters in Khartoum. She said, “The students were terrorized and beaten, resulting in injuries.”
This November 3rd video by Sandra Gathmann of Al Jazeera documents what has been happening in Sudan. In under 10 minutes, your friends and family will have a better understanding of the current situation and be in a stronger position to share information and/or advocate for continued international pressure. To learn more from the perspective of people in Sudan and the Sudanese diaspora, please follow #EyesOnSudan and #SudanCoup on social media.