On the first anniversary of the coup that disrupted Sudan’s transition, pro-democracy activists are calling for demonstrations to reinstall a civilian government and lead the country out of chaos…
On the first anniversary of the coup that disrupted Sudan’s transition, pro-democracies are calling for demonstrations to reinstall a civilian government and extricate a country where hunger and inflation are rampant.
A year ago to that day, the head of the army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, broke all commitments made two years ago in Sudan.
At dawn, he arrested civilian leaders with whom he had agreed to share power when, in 2019, the army was forced off the streets to topple one of his own, dictator Omar al-Bashir.
Since then, pro-democracy supporters have braved the crackdown every week. Again on Sunday, according to doctors, a protester was killed by a security forces bullet.
In one year, 118 protesters were killed as they demanded the return of civilians to power – a condition sine qua non for the resumption of international aid cut in retaliation for the coup.
Because the economic situation of the country, one of the poorest in the world, is catastrophic.
“The Revolution Continues”
Between triple-digit inflation and food shortages, a third of the 45 million inhabitants suffer from hunger. This is 50% more than a year ago, underlines the World Food Program (WFP).
The price of the minimum food basket has increased by 137% in one year, forcing almost all families to “spend more than two-thirds of their income on food”, the UN body adds.
In addition to the issue of purchasing power, the number one concern of Sudanese, many are worried, three years after the “revolution” of 2019, about the return of the Islamic-military dictatorship.
Because since the coup, some of Bashir’s loyalists have found their posts, especially in the Judiciary – which currently presides over the former dictator’s trial.
The country is swimming in uncertainty: no observer imagines holding the promised elections in the summer of 2023, no political figure so far seems ready to join the civilian government regularly promised by General Burhane and the international mediation and the proposed guidelines in place so far led to no results.
“Sudan does not have the luxury of allowing itself zero-sum political games and maneuvers,” Volker Perthes, the UN envoy to Sudan, urged on Saturday. “Political actors should put aside their differences and focus on the interest of the Sudanese.”
On Friday, thousands of them had already taken to the streets to say “no to military power” and commemorate the 58th anniversary of the first “revolution” to overthrow a military power. A challenge in a country with a history punctuated by coups and almost constantly under the control of generals.
Calls to demonstrate on Tuesday proclaim it: “The revolution continues.” “The October 25 parades will be the last announcement of the era of the putschists, with no possibility of return, the announcement of the constitution of a civil and democratic Sudan”, the pro-democracy bloc promises in the many manifestos that the activists post. online.
deadly conflicts
Friday’s parades resulted in 31 injuries, including three hit in the eye by tear gas canisters, according to the doctors’ union that lists victims of repression since the coup.
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On Monday, Western embassies called on “authorities to respect freedom of thought and the right to peaceful assembly.” And especially to “not use force,” in a press release that “condemns the death of a demonstrator” on Sunday.
With security forces mobilized for these parades, experts say the security vacuum in the rest of the country has allowed tribal conflict to flourish. These automatic weapons fights, generally over access to land and water, have caused nearly 600 deaths and displaced more than 210,000 since the start of the year, according to the UN.
On Monday, several thousand demonstrated in Blue Nile, accusing local authorities of failing in their duty to protect.
In the country that borders South Sudan and Ethiopia, “250 people were killed” last week in a new outbreak of such violence, according to the UN.
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Women chant slogans against military rule in Omdurman, a suburb of Khartoum, on October 21, 2022.
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Sudanese protesters are covered by tear gas fired by security forces during a demonstration against military rule in Omdurman, a suburb of Khartoum, on October 21, 2022
• Ebrahim Hamid
