Sudan Massacre: Here’s What’s Really Going On!

The whole of Africa and maybe even the entire world is mourning because of the Massacre in Sudan. Protesters are getting killed because they are calling for civilian rule in Sudan. Yes, the United States did mention sending the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor P. Nagy to meet with leaders in Sudan but this doesn’t dispute the fact that that at least 118 people were killed by government-backed military forces earlier this month after they attacked a peaceful sit-in protest earlier this month.

Here’s what’s going on.  

Omar al-Bashir came into power via a military coup during the north and south civil war in Sudan ruled for nearly 30 years and was thankfully ousted in April of this year. As reported by the BBC News, the charge of genocide and other crimes against humanity brought against him by the International Criminal Court was effectively put on hold due to a lack of support from the UN. Because people feared that most of the military men in Sudan had the same ideologies as Omar Al-Bashir and also because of the fear of going through the same sufferings as they did under his military rule, protesters continued to work tirelessly to ensure a new military-ruled government was not put to govern after Omar was removed.

Recent reports show that this week, more than 100 of these protesters especially those protesting at the camp in Khartoum were killed and at least 700 injured by paramilitaries. The Guardian also reported that there were over 70 cases of rape. 

Reuters reports that the Transitional Military Council and opposition groups, have now agreed to resume talks regarding an election and who should head a transitional government before the elections.

The Guardian reports that ahead of planned visits by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Tibor Nagy this week, pro-democracy activists have agreed to suspend a general strike in exchange for a commitment from the ruling generals to release all political prisoners. The Sudan Professionals Association, which has led the pro-democracy campaign, says it suspended the strike to enable an early resumption of negotiations with the Transitional Military Council (TMC) over a transition to civil rule.

But scepticism among activists is running high as is the belief that the TMC is playing for time after criticism of its massacre of activists last week in Khartoum. There are also signs of divisions within its ranks.

If this latest effort to restart talks fails, the crisis could escalate pitting rival factions of the military and intelligence services, backed by Egypt and the Gulf monarchies, against each other, with the risk that civilians would be caught in between.

People, in Sudan and other parts of the world, are calling for justice and peace in Sudan. Here are some reactions on social media: