Let’s talk about: Sudan
On October 25, 2021 Sudan’s 2019 Revolution came to a horrifying halt when the military side of the transitional government the kidnapped the civilian side, and unleashed violence and suppression including a full communications blockout.
Dr. Chrystal Murphy has been working in and researching the Sudans for 15 years and has been working closely with the revolutionaries in Sudan in recent years.
In this session, Dr. Crystal Murphy
Give san overview of the situation
Discusses the powerful, instructive and historic resistance movement against military rule, and
Shares opportunities to support their cause
Crystal Murphy (PhD)
Crystal Murphy is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the MA International Studies program at Chapman University.
Synopsis
After two years of civil disobedience, economic strife and grassroots organizing towards a more democratic future, Sudan’s revolution came to a screeching halt on October 25th, 2021 with a military coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Our Advisory Board Member, Dr. Crystal Murphy, has been working in and researching the Sudans for over 15 years. She has worked closely with Sudanese revolutionaries during the past several years, including earlier this year when she was in Sudan to work on a documentary chronicling the widespread grassroots political mobilization that she witnessed firsthand.
After such an inspiring movement for freedom, peace and justice - how do we make sense of the events that have unfolded over the past few weeks?
As Dr. Murphy explained, the “Glorious December Revolution”, as it’s known by many in Sudan, began in December of 2018 with rising frustrations over deteriorating economic conditions and quickly transformed into a broader call for economic and political reforms. On December 19th, protesters arrived from around the country to demonstrate in Khartoum. After four months of ongoing civil disobedience, President Omar al-Bashir, was deposed by the Sudanese Army after ruling the country for 30 years. However, Sudanese were unwilling to accept military rule as the alternative and continued the struggle for a democratic, civilian led government. The resistance was extremely well organized. Neighborhoods and communities around the country started forming organized resistance committees based on democratic structures focused on creating a unified strategy of civil disobedience.
Following the massacre of June 3, 2019, these committees organized a country-wide strike on June 30th. After another month of sustained protests, a deal was reached on August 10th, 2019 wherein a 39 week transitional period was established as well as the Sovereignty Council which would lead the country during this transition. The council was a 50/50 military civilian governing body which, at the end of the transitional period, was expected to come under full civilian control.
During this period, political organizing continued to advance, formalizing political parties and local organizing committees of millions of ordinary people committed to peaceful resistance.
In October of 2020, the Juba Peace Agreement was signed by the transitional government and resisting factions resulting in the creation of a draft constitutional agreement and paving the way for more representation within the transitional government. In the international arena, this was seen as a significant step forwards in the aftermath of al-Bashir’s removal from power in preparation for independent, democratic elections to be held at the end of the transition period. A mere four days before the coup, millions of Sudanese again marched to reiterate their demands for civilian rule.
However, on October 25th, Dr. Murphy remembers the twitter posts starting around 3:00am local time suggesting that a coup was imminent. Shortly thereafter, a complete blackout of internet and mobile connectivity began and continues today.
Military leaders, including al-Burhan himself, are referring publically to the coup as merely a “course correction”, claiming elections will go ahead as planned. But in the meantime, the civilian Prime Minister is under house arrest and hundreds of others have been arrested for opposing military rule. Even under these devastating conditions, Sudanese continue to fill the streets. On October 30, millions marched against the coup while various unions and sectors of civil society held vigils and strikes in solidarity with martyrs of the revolution.
While the international community has continued to call for a democratic transition, diplomatic efforts have failed to take a meaningful stand against the military’s actions. The emphasis has focused largely on getting the country back to October 24th and back to a power sharing agreement, without any significant recognition of the events that have transpired in the recent weeks. Similar to the case in Egypt, the Sudanese military has historically been a very powerful force both economically and politically, whose interests overlap with many key players in the region. As such, the military has established close ties with neighboring countries like Egypt and Israel.
While many of these international actors may prioritize regional stability, Sudanese continue to risk their lives by participating in ongoing resistance against military rule and have thus far rejected invitations to negotiate. Meanwhile, protests continue across the country and even Sudanese diaspora communities are organizing around the world in solidarity.
So, how can you get involved?
Raise awareness.
Reach out to your congressman.
Go to SudanCoup.com for templates and action items.
Voices to Follow:
Sara Alhassan @bsonblast
Muzan Alneel @muzanalneel
Ismail Kushkush @ikushkush
Yousra Elbagir @yousraelbagir
Wasil Ali @wasilalitaha
Elbashir Idriss @ElbashirIdriss
5. Podcasts to Hear:
6. Articles to Read