News & Updates
Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement
Giving Tuesday 2021: Thank You
Another Giving Tuesday is in the bag! We ended up a little short on some of our very ambitious goals, but our movement was incredibly generous nonetheless.
Another Giving Tuesday is in the bag! We ended up a little short on some of our very ambitious goals, but our movement was incredibly generous nonetheless.
Thank you for such a wonderful day! This Giving Tuesday was a great reminder that, when we all do our small part, we can bring extra resources forward for our Sudanese partners and friends.
Didn't get a chance to take part yesterday? You can still make a one-time donation or help us continue making progress on the goals we haven’t reached yet:
Upcoming Opportunities
Our mission is busier than ever, and our team is always working hard to create the best and most fulfilling experiences for you. Here is what you can expect to hear about through the end of 2021.
Dec 6-25: Project Giving
We are highlighting three specific programs and projects during these three weeks that you can give directly to:
Dec 6-11: Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains.
Dec 12-18: Endure Primary & Renewal Secondary Schools in Yida Refugee Camp.
Dec 19-25: Matched donations to our Endowment Fund!
Dec 26-31: Year End Gifts
If one of the reasons you are giving is for tax purposes, your gift needs to be in by midnight on December 31.
Writing a check? Be sure it is postmarked by December 31, made payable to Operation Broken Silence, and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.
The best way to make sure you don’t accidentally miss your last donation of the year is to give early!
As always, we don’t expect supporters to participate in each and every one of these giving opportunities. We do encourage you to pick one or two that are a good fit for you though!
With so much uncertainty in Sudan at the moment, our consistent communication and your generosity can bring some much-needed support to our Sudanese friends. Let’s make this season of giving a bountiful one, for them.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Bringing Together Cryptocurrency & Monthly Donors This Giving Tuesday
Operation Broken Silence, a nonprofit leader in improving educational access in the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan, has announced its 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign.
Operation Broken Silence, a nonprofit leader in improving educational access in the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan, has announced its 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign. This annual effort comes as a military coup in Sudan threatens to unravel the country’s peaceful revolution and transition to democracy. Current events could have a severe impact on the organization’s critical programming.
“We’ve always known this transition period in Sudan was going to be risky; however, after 30 years of catastrophic regime rule, the country’s peaceful revolution that began in 2019 had become inevitable,” said Mark Hackett, Executive Director, Operation Broken Silence. “I’ve spent the last few weeks talking to our Sudanese partners and connections on the ground. They remain as committed as ever, but we’re all deeply worried about what the future holds if this coup is not fully reversed, and soon.”
This year, Operation Broken Silence has a two-pronged Giving Tuesday campaign that long-time supporters and newcomers alike can participate in.
Traditional supporters are encouraged to start a small monthly gift for the Sudanese teachers and students that the organization supports in Yida Refugee Camp. Additionally, for almost a year now, Operation Broken Silence has accepted cryptocurrency donations through The Giving Block.
“Our 2021 Giving Tuesday campaign is a blend of growing our family of core supporters and expanding the cutting edge of new philanthropy,” Hackett said. “Our Sudanese partners are deeply appreciative of our monthly giving family; it’s a consistent stream of support that has helped them thrive. And the crypto community is an especially generous one with an outsized impact and emphasis on supporting underserved and niche causes.”
We’re the only nonprofit in the world supporting community-led education in Yida Refugee Camp, which sits on the edge of an oppressed region most people have never heard of. As far as level of importance and underserved causes go, we’re about as niche and critical as you can get.”
Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 to encourage people to do good at the start of the giving season. It comes on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and has grown into a global movement that brings together nonprofits, companies, and individual donors. Operation Broken Silence was one of the first nonprofits in the world to participate in Giving Tuesday.
When asked why people should join in this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign, Hackett said:
“We’re pretty used to working in an environment that rapidly changes. But looking back on a decade of our mission, I can’t think of another time in which there was this much uncertainty. There are bigger forces at play in Sudan that are outside our control, but we are uniquely positioned to deliver more resources to those creating change, from the ground up. That’s always where the long-term solutions in Sudan have been and will always be. All that’s left to do is make the magic happen by giving what we can.”
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.
Finishing 2021 Strong
With the giving season just around the corner, the winds of change are blowing through Sudan.
Friends and supporters,
With the giving season right around the corner, the winds of change are blowing through Sudan and our movement.
The recent military coup in Sudan appears to be far from a good resolution. Pro-democracy demonstrations are ongoing. Our Sudanese education partner is exploring new areas for program growth. Sudan is changing, even if the old guard regime refuses to accept reality.
Earlier this year, our team also began to sense that COVID-19 was shifting the nature of our movement-building work. Now that we have a better understanding of what those changes need to be, Operation Broken Silence is growing into a new normal. We are testing out a new staff role, accelerating our expansion into new forms of philanthropy like cryptocurrency, and hope to add another events-focused staffer in early 2022.
Our mission is busier than ever, but this exciting moment also runs the risk of important opportunities being missed. Our team is always working hard to create the best and most fulfilling experiences for you: our wonderful supporters. We don’t want to lose sight of that during an especially busy season.
Here is what you can expect to hear about through the end of 2021.
Nov 12-14: Eden’s Run 5K
Our 12th annual 5K officially kicks off the giving season! Over the next week, you’ll see an email and a few social media posts inviting you to join.
This year’s run is virtual again. You can run from wherever you call home! Registration is only $10, then all you have to do is raise another $65 through your fundraising page by November 14.
Nov 30: Giving Tuesday
On this day of global generosity, we need 15 supporters to join our monthly giving family, The Renewal. This will help close the remaining funding gap for the teachers and students in Yida Refugee Camp.
You’ll also have the opportunity to make one-time gifts online or donate cryptocurrency. You’ll see a few emails from us and several social media posts on this big day. Exciting!
Dec 6-25: Project Giving
We are highlighting three specific programs and projects during these three weeks that you can give directly to:
Dec 6-11: Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains.
Dec 12-18: Endure Primary & Renewal Secondary Schools in Yida Refugee Camp.
Dec 19-25: Matched donations to our Endowment Fund!
Dec 26-31: Year End Gifts
If one of the reasons you are giving is for tax purposes, your gift needs to be in by midnight on December 31.
Writing a check? Be sure it is dated and postmarked by December 31 for it count for the 2021 tax year.
The best way to make sure you don’t accidentally miss your last donation of the year is to give early! You can do that below:
As always, we don’t expect supporters to participate in each and every one of these giving opportunities. We do encourage you to pick one or two that are a good fit for you though!
With so much uncertainty in Sudan at the moment, our consistent communication and your generosity can bring some much-needed support to our Sudanese friends. Let’s make this season of giving a bountiful one, for them.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Sudan Coup: How To Help
The military has seized power in Sudan. Learn more and discover ways 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
Coup In Sudan, Military Seizes Power
On Monday morning, Sudan’s military seized power. Here is what happened and some ways you can help.
Early this morning, the Sudanese military dissolved Sudan’s transitional government, arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other civilian officials, and attempted to shut off the country’s internet. An illegal state of emergency has been declared.
The whereabouts of Prime Minister Hamdok and his wife are unknown. Large numbers of army soldiers and Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries have entered Khartoum, and we have received reports of live ammunition being used against unarmed, peaceful protesters. Civic organizers and neighborhood resistance committees across Sudan are calling for people to take to the streets in peaceful protest.
This is a coup. Once again, the Sudanese people find themselves on a collision course with the hydra-headed monster that is Sudan’s heavily-armed security forces.
The threat of mass violence against unarmed civilians cannot be understated. This is a rapidly deteriorating situation with potentially explosive consequences. The last time the military seized power in 2019, their deplorable actions gave way to a horrifying massacre of unarmed civilians.
This military coup comes a mere three days after the largest peaceful protests in favor of civilian rule since 2019 . The Sudanese people are speaking: this is not what they want.
Sudan’s transition to democracy, peace, and justice is on life support. These next few weeks are critical to staving off disaster. We’ll be keeping you updated during this time period, but we also can’t wait to act.
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, large population movements, and soaring needs. We need to send an extra $10,000 to the 24 Sudanese teachers we support ASAP so that they can continue their critical work through the end of the year, no matter what happens. The fastest and easiest way to help us reach our emergency $10,000 goal is to give online right now.
We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the United States. Your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Here are two additional ways you can help.
Give crypto.
We believe crypto can change the world because we’ve already seen crypto change lives in Sudan. Whether you are one of our current cryptocurrency donors or new to our mission, donating some of what you HODL is a preferred giving method.
Donating crypto means you can end up paying no capital gains taxes on appreciated crypto, get a fair market value deduction, and the teachers receive an even larger donation than if you sold your crypto, paid taxes, and then donated fiat.
An important note: we are unable to refund crypto donations at this time. We’ve made donating crypto to our mission super easy through this form, but it’s on you to give the correct amount.
Complete the short form to give or learn more here.
Fundraise through Eden’s Run 5K.
If you aren’t in a position to make a donation, you can register for our annual 5K for free and ask friends and family to donate through your fundraising page. This global event is virtual. You can run from wherever you are or just sign up to fundraise and skip running.
Every penny counts right now. Use promo code SUDAN to register for free and claim your fundraising page.
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 against all odds is remarkable, and it is now in jeopardy. Let’s be sure that we each play our small part in helping to give our Sudanese friends the best chance for continued progress. I just gave. Will you join me?
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Operation Broken Silence
Mass protests in Sudan as democratic transition in peril
Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators poured into the streets of Khartoum and other major cities on Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators poured into the streets of Khartoum and other major cities on Thursday, demanding full civilian rule in the face of a looming military takeover of Sudan’s fragile transitional government.
The protests come as military and civilian authorities are locked in an intense power struggle over Sudan’s uncertain future. Over the past several weeks, a failed coup attempt, bitter accusations, and a worsening security atmosphere have threatened to give way to mass violence against civilians in major population centers by the security forces.
Former dictator Omar al-Bashir at a hearing on corruption charges. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah. Licensed via Adobe.
Background
Sudan’s peaceful revolution in 2019 swept from power several key elements of the Bashir regime, including indicted war criminals, corrupt politicians, and the authoritarian Islamist faction that oversaw multiple genocides and civil wars that tore the country apart and made Sudan a safe haven for international terrorists.
Shortly after a period of chaos that gave way to the June 3 Khartoum massacre, a transitional government was formed that promised to move Sudan toward democratic rule. This government includes new civilian leaders and surviving military and paramilitary commanders from the Bashir era.
This was a hopeful moment to be sure; however, deep down, everyone has known that this transitional period was going to be fraught with risk. Those risks now seem to be coming to a head all at once: entitled generals hellbent on protecting their kleptocracy, civilian leaders frustrated with the military’s intransigence, a shattered economy being strangled by surviving regime elements, and Sudan’s long-oppressed periphery regions running out of patience.
Sudanese protestors in Khartoum. AP Photo/Hussein Malla. Licensed via AP.
The Current Crisis
The Sudanese army and its fragile alliance of competing paramilitary groups is pushing to dissolve the civilian side of the government headed by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The generals appear to be pulling out all the stops: dramatic shows of armed force, a multi-faceted disinformation campaign, and support for small pro-military protests, which are a mere fraction of the size of pro-civilian government demonstrations.
Pro-democracy leaders called for mass demonstrations in response to the military threat. On Thursday, business shut down as hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets of Khartoum, where they were met with heavy tear gas, minimal gunfire, and a large security presence. The demonstrators chanted anti-military slogans, waved Sudanese flags, and demanded a full-blown civilian government.
If crowd estimates are accurate, Thursday marked the largest pro-democracy demonstrations since the transitional government was formed. The Sudanese Professionals Association —the primary organizing force behind the peaceful 2019 revolution— released a statement saying "There is no retreat from the streets until the handover of power."
At the moment, it appears that military leaders may have overplayed their hand. The sheer size of Thursday’s demonstrations show that the backbone of Sudan’s revolution —the ability to organize and take control of the streets— is still very much alive and well. And despite Sudan’s struggling economy and slowing social progress, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok remains widely popular. The seriousness of this moment is showing that a large majority of the Sudanese people remain committed to securing a democratic future.
What Comes Next & International Efforts
Pro-civilian government demonstrations are likely to continue until the military can honestly show that it is no longer trying to create the conditions to seize power or undermine progress. While it is encouraging to see so many of the Sudanese people once again rise up and demand a better future, we are also deeply concerned for the safety of peaceful protestors.
Rapid Support Forces paramilitary soldiers in Khartoum. REUTERS/Umit Bektas. Licensed via Adobe.
The military side of the transitional government has a long history of brutalizing and murdering Sudanese who are exercising their basic rights. This is particularly true of Bashir-era paramilitary outfits such as the Rapid Support Forces, the group that was largely responsible for the June 6, 2019 massacre in Khartoum. Any large-scale deployment of paramilitary or regular army forces in Sudan against protestors should be seen as a warning sign of planned atrocities.
This rapidly deteriorating situation seems to have set off alarm bells in various parts of the U.S. government. The U.S. embassy in Khartoum issued a call for demonstrators to remain peaceful and is throwing full support to Sudan’s transition to democracy. The State Department is dispatching U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman to Khartoum. Feltman is set to arrive in Khartoum on Friday with both a hopeful message and a warning, saying yesterday:
“If the transition is interrupted, if one side or the other in this [civilian-military] partnership tries to prevail, then the US support for all of these issues, including debt relief, will be in question. My trip will just reinforce the strong US support for the Sudanese transition, but also make it clear that our continued support depends on that transition moving forward. We want to see what we can do to support the forward momentum, the forward progress.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee also threw Congressional support to civilian leaders and the Sudanese people, issuing a statement citing American support to the democratic cause and a call for the international community to “reign in the malign forces seeking to undermine the country's transition.”
As the situation in Sudan remains tense, we must not forget that the people who most need Sudan’s revolution to succeed live far away from Khartoum, in the country’s still oppressed hinterlands.
Operation Broken Silence is still the only nonprofit in the world funding community-led education efforts in Yida Refugee Camp. Yida is home to many people who fled the war in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan years ago. The majority of people living here are children.
Without the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools that we support in Yida, the entire education system would collapse. You can help Nuba teachers raise up the next generation of Sudanese leaders by pitching in what you can.
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.