(Alaa Salah, a Sudanese woman gives a speech in Khartoum, Sudan during the 2019 Sudan Revolution. Image by Karen Melchior via Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/86185290@N00/32632524727 )
Happy belated Independence Day, Sudan. On January 1st, 1966, this Northeast African country gained independence from the British. To celebrate this country’s independence, we are exploring the country’s 2021 coup, protests, and political instability.
Sudan has been facing political instability for decades. In 2018, Sudanese citizens protested the bleak economic, political, and social conditions of the country, which was led by then president Omar al-Bashir. In the wake of what became known as the Sudanese revolution, Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a coup d’etat by members of the Sudanese army. The Sudanese army subsequently liaised with the headstrong people of Sudan to create governing structures and prepare to undergo official elections.
(Sudanese people ride on a train. Image by Osama Elfaki via Wikimedia Commons )
On October 25th, 2021, part of the Sudanese military government seized control of the country via a coup. The citizens of Sudan have expressed serious disapproval over these happenings, and the pushback in the country is led by the citizens, who desire to play an active role in the political governing of the country. The country has experienced continuous coups since 1989. The people of Sudan, however, are proactive and are known for their fierce and unflinching activism.
(Diasporans march in solidarity with the Sudan revolution. Image by Hossam el-Hamalawy via Flickr)
Since the 2021 coup, citizens have taken to the streets in Kassala, Khartoum, Port Sudan and other places to protest the coup. On December 30th, four people were killed by governing security personnel for protesting, with stun grenades and tear gas unleashed on protesters as they advanced towards the capital, Khartoum. Since the coup, approximately 52 people have been killed in protests.
The Darfur region of Sudan, which has experienced armed attacks, displacement, physical and sexual violence for decades, is under more severe attack during this time, as military support has shifted its focus to the transitional government and protests since the most recent coup.
Are you Sudanese or of the Sudanese diaspora? What is your take on these happenings? Comment below!
Works Cited
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/18/12-defining-moments-in-sudans-12-month-uprising
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/5/4/the-many-mothers-of-sudans-revolution
https://www.voanews.com/a/thousands-protest-sudan-s-october-coup-/6341847.html
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1109022
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/21/sudan-coup-attempt-has-failed-state-media-reports
