THE TORTUOUS PATH OF PEACEFUL PROTESTS IN
SUDAN
AN EXAMPLE OF ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE
June 3rd is the Feast of the
Ugandan Martyrs, commemorating the execution of 45 young men in 1886. A similar massacre has again occurred.
On
June 3, 2019 the peaceful, civilian demonstrations at Columbia, the military
headquarters in Khartoum, were violently disrupted and the Transitional Military Council (TMC) admitted 61 people were killed. At least 40 bodies were found floating in the
Nile river. The TMC ordered this
dispersal but claims the violence was not caused by Security Forces and was a
‘mistake’. Scores of women and men were
sexually violated, with Southern Sudanese and people from Darfur specifically
targeted by the perpetrators. The internet was disrupted and still fails to operate.
In May, the Maryknoll Office of Global
Concerns was concerned that the nonviolent protesters in Sudan were not
receiving essential, international support.
A letter was written to Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Jim McGovern
(D-MA) of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission encouraging them to exert
maximum pressure on the Sudanese military to allow a civilian-led democratic
government.
On May 16th a bipartisan,
bicameral letter was written by Rep. McGovern, signed by three additional
Members of the House and nine senators, to Secretary of State Pompeo and
Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin. They
outlined six practical steps the US Government should take to assist the
protesters to achieve their goal of a civilian democratic government.
On June 1st the Lantos
Commission released an additional statement in support of the protesters.
On June 4th, after the massacre,
international condemnation proceeded from the Secretary General of the UN, the
UN Commissioner for Human Rights, the UK Foreign Minister, the British
Ambassador to Sudan, the US Embassy in Khartoum and the EU.
On June 6th the African Union
suspended Sudan from membership. Their
requirement for a civilian interim government by June 30th still
stands.
On June 9th Pope Francis called
for peace in Sudan during his weekly address.
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| #BlueForSudan - Mohamed Mattar killed in peaceful protests. Blue was his favorite color |
From June 8-11th the protesters
called for civil disobedience in response to the massacre. This was called off when Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived to assist with mediation. Protesters continued to live in fear for
their lives as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), formerly known as the Janjaweed
in the Darfur atrocities, terrorized the center of Khartoum. Protesters circumvented the shut down of the
internet by using social media at #BlueForSudan. US celebrities such as Rihanna, Naomi Campbell
and Ne Yo used this platform to increase awareness and solidarity with the
protesters’ chant of SILMIYAH which means PEACEFUL.
The US Trump administration has been accused of indifference to the call
for a civilian government. In 2005 the
Bush administration was concerned with fighting terrorism. This required partnering with the Sudanese
intelligence chief, Salah Gosh. Gosh
visited Washington that year using a CIA jet and allegedly oversaw massacres in
Darfur of over 300,000 people. Salah has
disappeared from military leadership but General Mohamed Dagalo, Hemedti, has
taken his place and is posturing to become the next Sudanese president. To date, there is no justice for the
atrocities committed in Darfur.
On June 12th Donald Booth was
named the US Special Envoy to Sudan.
On June 17th protesters began to
urge nighttime and neighborhood resistance rallies to escalate pressure on the
military and decrease the number of injuries and deaths. This is known as the ‘second wave’ of the
uprising. Meetings with citizens are
held in public places to counter MTC propaganda that denigrates the Forces for
the Declaration for Freedom and Change (FDFC). They also discuss nonviolent
tactics that are useful with the large scale RSF presence and mobilize future
protest schedules.
On June 19th the military
agreed to restart mediation efforts with all parties included at the table. The Ethiopian Special Envoy informed the FDFC
that the next round of talks would take place in Addis Abba. The FDFC rejected
talks outside of Sudan. The AU and IGAD
also disagreed on the best process to continue mediation.
On June 23rd the FDFC accepted
an Ethiopian led road map to a civilian led government. The leadership council will include eight
civilian and seven military members. The
military will chair the council for the first 18 months and civilians for the
next 18 months. The previous agreements
for a protester appointed Cabinet and an FDFC majority legislative body will
function during the three-year transition period leading up to elections.
On June 24th the military rejected the Ethiopian proposal while
awaiting a proposal from the AU. The FDFC
called for mass demonstrations on June 30th, the 30th
anniversary of the coup that brought deposed dictator Omar al Bashir to power.
On June 27th the AU and
Ethiopian mediation team presented a unified proposal which would retain a
civilian majority Sovereign Majority Council.
However, the details for the legislative council would not be decided
until after this agreement was signed.
The UN Security Council agreed to an extension of UNAMID in Darfur until
October 31, 2019. The TMC had demanded
that these UN premises be turned over to the RSF.
On June 29
th the security forces stormed the headquarters of
the Sudanese Professionals Association and banned their news conference ahead
of tomorrow’s rally.
On June 30
th hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Khartoum, Obdurman,
Atbara and other cities across Sudan. Security
forces used tear gas to disperse them while they shouted “Burhan’s council,
just fall”. Five people were killed and 181 were injured.
One protester was interviewed by the BBC
and was quoted as saying guns have failed in Syria, Libya and Sudan. Guns might win a battle but they won’t win
the war. What was successful was
maintaining the peacefulness.
The international community should
1.
Refuse
to ever recognize legitimacy of the Transitional Military Council since the
massacre of June 3rd.
2.
Demand
accountability for the crimes committed.
3.
Direct
all support to civil society and peaceful protesters.
4.
Withhold
support for any elections until transition to civil rule is established.
5.
All
Sudanese diplomatic presence abroad should be downgraded.
6.
Suspend
economic initiatives with Sudan.
7.
EU
country representatives in Sudan should advise policy decisions to support
civilian rule, identify options to discourage regional and international
support for the MTC and establish monitoring mechanism.
8.
The US
should use the Global Magnitsky Act sanctions against MTC members responsible
for violence and human rights abuses.
The EU should follow with a similar Act.
9.
The AU
and IGAD should synchronize their approach to support a civilian transition to
democracy
10.
Demand
the MTC restore the Internet, lift media restrictions, release all political
prisoners and allow deported leaders to return to Sudan
The bravery of Sudanese
protesters should be matched by honesty and boldness in the way the
international community confronts the MTC.
PEACE OF THESE BRAVE SUDANESE AS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL OF US!!!
NB...On 4th July 2019 the FDFC and the MTC agreed to a peace agreement that will hopefully lead to a democratic government in three years time. The MTC will hold the majority on the Sovereign Council for the first 21 months. The international community still needs to remain vigilant and support the civilian FDFC.
July 18, 2019 the agreement was finally signed.
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