Staying The Course
This morning, Sudanese dictator and indicted war criminal Omar al-Bashir was informed by the heads of his own brutal security agencies that he was no longer the leader of Sudan.
The coup that immediately followed witnessed a number of stunning moments that many Sudanese and outside observers thought would never be seen. Army soldiers began arresting regime officials, troops stormed the Islamic Movement's headquarters, and protesters rightfully began to celebrate that the dictator had finally fallen.
And then the army announced that the protesters demands would not be met. The Sudanese people are once again being denied the transitional civilian government they demanded. Most regime officials remain in power. The coup has essentially moved one group of war criminals out of top regime leadership and replaced them with another batch.
Sudanese Defense Minister Ibn Auf, who is sanctioned by the United States over the Darfur genocide, stated that he would be taking power on behalf of the Supreme Security Committee. He is a powerful regime insider, not a reformer. Because of that reality, he has now also been pushed out of power as protests continue to mount.
His successor Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was the general inspector of the armed forces. He has also overseen the use of Darfuri child soldiers in Yemen and was an active particpant in the Darfur genocide that the Sudanese regime waged in western Sudan. Like nearly every other regime official, his hands are soaked in blood.
The military's stated plan is for the junta, now chaired by al-Buhran, to run Sudan for two years as part of a transitional process. Considering that much of this bloodthirsty regime remains intact, that promise will most likely not pan out. I certainly hope I am wrong, but al-Buhran's track record and those of the rest of the junta are not promising.
Where We Go From Here
We expect to see protests continue in the coming days and weeks. The palace coup was meant to relieve the tremendous, historic, and mounting public pressure on the regime, but so far the coup plotters have not achieved that goal. At all. Brave and peaceful protesters are refusing to stand down, and it is still unclear how far the regime's new top brass will go to retain their grip on power.
And there are no signs that the recent leadership changes in the regime mean peace and justice will come to the most oppressed and violated regions of Sudan. That includes the Nuba Mountains, where much of our focus as an organization and movement is.
Our commitment as a movement to our Sudanese partners is needed now more than ever before. Sudan is in uncharted territory. The students and teachers at the Endure Primary and Renewal High Schools in Yida Refugee Camp still need our support. Our mission remains as crystal clear as ever before: empower the Sudanese directly, and then get out of their way.
That is where we go from here. Join me to that end:
