Sudan is wading deeper and deeper into a “human rights abyss”, declares the UN.
Within the past several weeks, the political and economic crisis in Sudan has risen to new heights. Reports show that 118 civilians have been killed and hundreds more have been injured after the country’s paramilitary forces raided the main protest camp outside the military headquarters, located in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, on June 3rd, 2019. These attacks have been called a “massacre”. Schools and hospitals have allegedly been attacked by the militia, dozens of bodies have been dragged from the Nile, and some seventy rapes have been reported.
In addition to bloodshed, the country is completely offline. Sudan shut down its Internet access nationwide, making it extremely difficult to reach Sudan and for its civilians to share current events regarding their situation with the outside world. According to the World Bank, as late as 2017, 31% of the 40 million people in Sudan had Internet access. And according to DataReportal, 7% of those people actively used social media. Cutting off Internet access in Sudan hinders protest movements and crushes morale.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, taking the country’s major wealth source, oil, with it. The current crisis began in December 2018, after Sudanese civilians experienced food and fuel shortages, restrictions on monetary withdrawals, and rapidly rising bread prices. Protests spread all over the country before reaching Khartoum, the center of the current conflict.
In April, following months of pro-democracy demonstrations in response to unfair prices and living conditions, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was arrested and ousted from office in a military coup, after 30 years of rule. In 2010, he was charged with war crimes and genocide in Darfur, a region of western Sudan, and held responsible for thousands of deaths. Sudan’s reputation as a totalitarian state spread following this conflict, buoyed by accusations of electoral fraud. Detained in Khartoum, al-Bashir remains under arrest.
A panel of military leaders, called the Transitional Military Council, has replaced al-Bashir. Talks between the Transitional Military Council and civilian leaders about what comes next broke down earlier this month and led to the Khartoum massacre. Observers indicate that the council’s rule has not improved conditions since replacing the al-Bashir regime.
The goal of the protesters is to achieve a civilian-led government. Pro-democracy demonstrators are creating barricades and setting them aflame, blocking roads and preventing public life from proceeding. According to The Guardian and Al Jazeera, civilian protesters intend to “get life paralyzed” via “civil disobedience”, which they believe will ultimately lead to a resolution.
However, the Transitional Military Council calls this “closing of the roads” a “fully-fledged crime” and insists that the people have “crossed the line of peaceful protest”. Negotiations are at a stalemate and cannot be expected to progress unless a compromise is reached.
The international community has responded to the crisis in Sudan. Several weeks ago, the secretary-general of the United Nations demanded unimpeded access to provide aid at the protest camp and at hospitals where injured protesters are recovering. The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, was accepted as a mediator in Sudan and proposed a plan for a new council of democratic leaders. Two Sudanese protest leaders were arrested shortly after meeting with Prime Minister Ahmed.
Other governments have condemned the violence in Sudan and urged civilian and military leaders to find a compromise. One America News reported that the United States sent a special envoy of two top diplomats to Sudan last week, who would call for an end to attacks on civilians by the militia, and to conduct an independent investigation.
Results of the investigations have not been publicized. An increase in pressure from international news organizations would help to motivate the transitional government and civilian leaders to reach a compromise that would ease the suffering of the Sudanese people.
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