By As of late, a movement of speaking up has picked up traction on our social media feeds surrounding the situation in Sudan. Just in case anyone is still behind on what is happening, here is a summary of the situation that has culminated over the past several months —
After 30 years of violent oppression under the government of President Omar al-Bashir, the people of Sudan mobilized in December of 2018, calling for al-Bashir to step down. His response was to use brute force in an attempt to quell the people of Sudan from protesting peacefully.
The protests did not stop, leading us to February 2019 which is when al-Bashir called for a “State of Emergency,” banning ALL unauthorized gatherings nationwide.
The call for the “State of Emergency” was to no avail as protesters in Sudan managed to organize the largest sit-in in Sudanese history on April 6, 2019 outside the Headquarters of the Armed Forces.
Eventually, the peaceful protests and unrelenting resilience of the Sudanese people led to al-Bashir stepping down. His regime was seemingly over, but in his place, a military government formed, to be known as the TMC, or the Transitional Military Council.
Protests continued as several stalling tactics on behalf of the military generals now in power have denied the Sudanese people the civilian-led government they have been protesting for since the beginning.
But the Sudanese military government is financially backed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. This is because the Sudanese military has been sending thousands of Sudanese soldiers (mostly child soldiers) to fight for Saudi Arabia on the front lines of their illegal war in Yemen.
The financial backing of the Sudanese military by these external governments is what gives the military their power as they murder, rape, and torture an as-of-yet-unknown number of peaceful civilian protesters in Sudan. @sainhoax recently posted the numbers currently known, but those numbers are rapidly changing and unfortunately growing:
Several media influencers with direct contacts in Sudan have spoken up to bring awareness to the horrors the Sudanese people are currently enduring.
@hadyouatsalaam brought awareness by posting, “Khartoum (the capital and largest city in Sudan) is under a complete siege. No one is allowed to move – if you see someone you know being shot you are not allowed to pick up their dead body. Eventually any and all access to everyone in Sudan will be terminated. They’re shooting people’s houses, raping women, burning bodies, throwing them in the Nile like vermin, tormenting people.”
“The color blue was chosen to honor the martyrs of the Sudan uprisings. The blue was Mohamed Mattar’s profile picture before he was killed. Now this ‘Mattar Blue’ represents showing solidarity with Sudan.”
You may have noticed several Muslim influencers on social media changed their profile picture to the color blue, while at the same time speaking out to bring awareness to the Sudanese Revolution.
@TheKhadegaMo explains in an Instagram post that “The color blue was chosen to honor the martyrs of the Sudan uprisings. The blue was Mohamed Mattar’s profile picture before he was killed. Now this ‘Mattar Blue’ represents showing solidarity with Sudan.”
It horrifies me to say it, but this article really just scratches the surface of what the peaceful protesters of Sudan are going through. It’s an abridged version of their suffering, of their bravery, of their sacrifice for a future they want to be in control of and a country they want to save. The stories that are coming out of Sudan are ones of unimaginable violence. We need to show support for the people of Sudan. We need to show solidarity and raise awareness. It is the least we can do.
As Khadega Mohammed so aptly reminds us, “We will be questioned about our silence on the day of judgement. You will be held accountable for all the times you turned the other cheek when you saw oppression and injustice and didn’t do anything. If you are silent, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Speak up.”
In order to learn more about the current situation in Sudan, I highly recommend you listen to Amy Goodman from “Democracy Now!” interview Sudanese activist Marine Alneel as she highlights the struggles of her country and how the protesters are trying to change it.
I also highly encourage everyone to listen to Shaun King’s podcast, “The Break Down.” He just uploaded his 50th episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and takes the time to explain what is happening in Sudan in more detail as well as why it is one of the most important things going on in the world today.
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