Sudan: a new day of mobilization against the coup

Published on : 10/30/2021 – 09:04

New day of mobilization in Sudan. After five days of murderous repression, opponents of the military coup are organizing a new show of force against General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane on Saturday, October 30.

The junta’s response will be scrutinized around the world, a senior American official has already warned: “It will be a real test of the military’s intentions,” he said, warning against an outburst of violence.

But the risk of a new bloodbath in a country plagued by conflict in no way weakens the determination of the demonstrators, assures the pro-democracy activist Tahani Abbas to AFP.

A “manifestation of the million”

“The military will not lead us, that’s our message,” she told AFP. And the “demonstration of the million” promised on social networks and in graffiti on the walls of Khartoum, where the authorities have cut the internet, is only a “first step”.

Because in a country ruled almost without interruption since its independence 65 years ago by the military, the street decided to say no to General Burhane, who on Monday dissolved the institutions of Sudan and arrested most of the civilian leaders.

Saturday morning, the telephone network was disconnected as well as the Internet. Security forces were in large numbers in the streets blocking bridges connecting the capital, Khartoum, to neighboring towns. They set up checkpoints on the main streets, randomly searching passers-by and cars.

UK Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Robert Fairweather urged Sudanese security to “respect the freedom and right of expression” of protesters. “Demonstrating peacefully is a fundamental democratic right. The security services and their leaders will be responsible for any violence against protesters,” he said on Twitter.

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“The world is watching”

The main slogan of his opponents is that there is “no turning back” after the revolt which toppled dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, a general who himself came to power by a 30-year coup. earlier.

For five days, the Sudanese have entered in “civil disobedience”, perched on barricades. In front of them, the real or rubber bullets and the tear gas canisters of the security forces have rained, already mowing eight of them, probably more according to doctors.

Despite everything, assures Tahani Abbas, “our only weapon is pacifism and it has already paid off”. “We are no longer afraid,” she insists again. Because for the demonstrators who also promise parades of the diaspora abroad, Saturday is a repeat of the “revolution” of 2019 which brought down Bashir at the cost of six months of mobilization and more than 250 deaths.

This time around, “the military leaders must not be mistaken: the world is watching and will not tolerate more blood,” warns Amnesty International.

In fact, as early as Friday evening, the United States urged the army to restraint. This day, said a senior official, “will be a real test of the intentions of the military.” The UN chief Antonio Guterres has, for his part, urged “the military not to make more victims”.

“Civil disobedience”

This putsch cut short hopes for free elections at the end of 2023 and plunged the country, which belongs to an already unstable region, into the unknown. Holding on despite the roundups, many public institutions have announced that they are joining the “civil disobedience” which has turned Khartoum into a city that has been dead for five days.

Nine days ago, tens of thousands of Sudanese marched to the cry of “Burhane, leave power!”. An event which probably precipitated the course of things, the general alone at the helm today claiming to have acted to prevent “a civil war”.

This time around, the activists want even darker streets, a challenge as many of them have been arrested. But, say experts, with the experience of 2019, the protesters are now better organized. And they have with them an international community which has increased the sanctions against the generals.

The United States and the World Bank have stopped their aid, vital for the country caught between rampant inflation and endemic poverty, the African Union has suspended Khartoum and the UN Security Council demands the return of civilians to power .

With AFP