Sudan Coup: How To Help
Friends and supporters,
As we enter what is expected to be a chaotic weekend in Sudan, I wanted to provide a quick update on this week's events.
Early on the morning of October 25, Sudan’s security forces executed a coup. This illegal action came less than a month before military generals were to hand over power to civilian leaders, which would have been a major step forward in Sudan’s slow transition to democracy.
This new military junta is made up of holdovers from the previous Bashir regime, which was overthrown during Sudan’s peaceful 2019 revolution. Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemeti) are now in charge in Khartoum. They have issued a state of emergency, placed Prime Minister Hamdok under house arrest, and violently detained many civilian officials and leading pro-democracy activists.
Pro-democracy demonstrators were in the streets almost immediately. Their numbers have swelled from tens of thousands to well over one million people. Large numbers of general troops and RSF paramilitaries have deployed in Khartoum and other cities. They are firing live ammunition into crowds, beating unarmed and peaceful protesters, and hunting door-to-door for community organizers to arrest and torture.
What Happens Now?
It’s too early to tell if this coup will be successful. Burhan and Hemeti are only marginally in control, a fact made evident by swift international backlash and the potentially explosive situation they created that now sits outside their military headquarters.
International condemnation came quickly, with many governments and world bodies halting economic assistance and refusing to recognize the new regime. Some Sudanese government ministries are ignoring orders from Burhan and Hemeti, a bold act of defiance.
(AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Most notably, Sudan’s peaceful pro-democracy movement remains as powerful as it was in 2019. We expect to see some of the largest peaceful protests in Sudanese history this weekend. As youth and women organizers handed out flyers all week calling for mass demonstrations, activists have been erecting barricades throughout Khartoum in preparation for their showdown with Sudan’s hydra-headed monster of security forces.
The Sudanese people will almost certainly brave this latest, rapidly escalating threat. The anger we are seeing in the streets is palpable. The international community is backing their cause. For many, going back to life under the transitional government won’t be enough. One young demonstrator summed this moment up well when she shouted “we’re not going back to the days of Bashir.”
But even the Sudanese people know they are an unstoppable force crashing into what has often been an immovable object. In Sudan’s long-oppressed periphery lands, the dark clouds of injustice brought by the security forces still loom large. It is here that millions of Sudanese have already paid the ultimate price —where countless communities have been wiped off the face of the earth— and millions of survivors have been dismembered, raped, and made homeless. Their cries for freedom and justice are still being silenced.
Even the elite citizenry in Khartoum knows they are neither free nor safe, having themselves survived the terror of the June 3, 2019 massacre, a crime that still demands accountability. These realities are why that brave young woman —who certainly knows that the security forces will make her and other women like her their primary target— is willing to risk everything anyways. Revolution is the only choice she has.
How many more must die before Sudan is truly free? Even if the Sudanese people succeed —and I believe they will— the immediate path in front of them is one full of immense suffering. A dozen demonstrators have already been killed this week, and hundreds more wounded. When will it be enough?
Sudan’s revolutionaries are peaceful, even as they face a regime that has an insatiable appetite for blood. Perhaps this is why the youth and women who are leading in the streets seem so wise: they are not seeking to quench the appetite of the entrenched monster trying to devour them. They are uprooting and obliterating the foul beast altogether.
How You Can Help
Operation Broken Silence has been working alongside our Sudanese partners on the ground for a decade. Our mission has always been focused on the long run, which is why supporting Sudanese teachers in the Nuba Mountains region remains our top priority.
In times of urgent crisis like this, we often see sudden outbursts of mass violence and large population movements. That’s why we’re raising an emergency $10,000 for the 24 Sudanese teachers we support. This will help them continue their critical work through the end of the year, no matter what happens.
If you are not in a position to give from your wallet, would you consider giving your time? Use promo code SUDAN to register for our annual 5K for free and ask friends and family to donate through your fundraising page.
This global event is virtual from November 12-14, and there has never been a better time to run for Sudan. Your effort will help us reach our emergency $10,000 goal.
The past two years have often felt impossible. A major source of encouragement for me has been watching our Sudanese friends strive for a better future against the remnants of a genocidal regime, democratic backsliding worldwide, and a global pandemic.
The progress they have made is remarkable, and it is now in jeopardy. Let’s each play our small part in helping to give our Sudanese friends the best chance for real, lasting change.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
