EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PROTESTS IN SUDAN.

Sudan, officially, The Republic of Sudan is a country located in the north west of Africa. Even
though the country attained its independence from the joint ruling of British and Egypt in 1956,
the country never really gained independence in its truest form. The country has always been
ruled by dictators and have never breathed freedom since their “independence”. Since December
of 2018, the country has been going through the toughest time the people have seen in the
politics of the country, severely affecting the national capital.
The country was ruled by Omar al-Bashir for thirty years till present since 1989. Bashir is known
for his strict ways of ruling; he was especially indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity
and genocide. Bashir maintained his power throughout the thirty years by oppressing the
country’s minorities, this kept majority of the era population under control. Bashir’s ruling
enacted the worst of its strict law in the form of Sharia Law under which the government locked
up thousands of political dissidents and carried out the ethnic cleansing of Non-Arabs in Darfur.
Under his rule, the citizens noted a rapid decline in the economy.
All of this sparked the pro-democracy movement in the country spearheaded by Sudanese
Professionals Association (SPA) – a group led by doctors and local unions of the country –
leading to the fall of Bashir’s government and the end of his dictatorship. This gave people hope
of a democratic living and having basic human fundamental rights, to spur the hopes of the
people the military promised the power to the civilians, but that turned out differently, it is now
the military only that is responsible for the killings of the innocent and opening fire on huge
crowds. The dominance of Military has become so powerful that it has stopped and forced shut
internet connection in the whole country leading to the citizens having no connection to the
outside world or even being updated on their own country’s happenings.
The country is currently under the dominance of military lead by General Abdel Fattah al-
burhan. It is believed that even tough General Abdel is the face of the leadership, it is actually
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who is pulling the strings. It was Mohamed Hamdan who oversaw
the genocide in Darfur. He is also filmed making a veiled threat to the protestors who wanted
civilian rule. According to the protestors, Mohamed Hamdan can be considered as the biggest
obstacle to the change the people want to see. Under the dominance of military, the degree of
crime has worsened leading to more killings, random shootings and systematic raping.
Even after all the mas murdering by the military, the SPA did not lose its hope and is continuing
to fight back and rely on the numbers. Women, despite of facing decades of oppression and
virtually having no legal protections are stepping up to fight against the government. What
makes the protests even more remarkable is the fact that Sudanese people from all parts of the
country and all the groups (including the Arab majority) came together to over throw Bashir’s
government. Most of these protestors are incredibly young. According to data, 63% of Sudan’s
population is below the age of 25, out of which 43% is below the age of 15 years. Having most
of its protestors as youngsters has given a huge advantage to the civilians with their energy and
determination for a free and independent state.
Marine Arneel a prominent young lady protestor in the country, in an interview said “At this
point, it is difficult to be hopeful, but we have come so far; it is amazing to see how defiant and
committed people are. Even though it might take a long time and more people might have to
sacrifice their lives, but we won’t let all our efforts and the lost lives go in vain. For the first time
in thirty years, Sudan is united and we will make the most of it”
All of this does not only give the hope but an assurance that Sudan will see a better tomorrow
and eventually, it will breathe the air free of pain and have sights free of bloodshed.