Late-2019 Sudanese protests
The late-2019 Sudanese protests consisted of street protests in Sudan starting from mid-September 2019 during the 2019 Sudanese transition to democracy, on issues that included the nomination of a new Chief Justice of Sudan and Attorney-General, killings of civilians by the Rapid Support Forces, the toxic effects of cyanide and mercury from gold mining in Northern state and South Kordofan, protests against a state governor in el-Gadarif and against show trials of Sudanese Professionals Association coordinators, and for officials of the previous government to be dismissed in Red Sea, White Nile, and South Darfur. These protests followed the sustained street protests and civil disobedience of the Sudanese Revolution and the early September 2019 transfer of executive power to the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and his cabinet of ministers. Hamdok described the 39-month transitional period as being defined by the aims of the revolution.
Background
Eight months of street protests and sustained civil disobedience in Sudan, starting on 19 December 2018, led to a Political Agreement and Draft Constitutional Declaration defining a 39-month political transition period that started in September 2019, formally transferring executive power to the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and his cabinet of ministers. Gilbert Achcar described the transition period as the fourth phase of the revolution.September 2019
On 12 September two thousand protestors in Khartoum and other cities and on 19 September twenty thousand protestors in Khartoum, Wad Madani and Port Sudan called for Abdelgadir Mohamed Ahmed to be appointed as Chief Justice and Mohamed el-Hafiz as Attorney-General, for the Khartoum massacre investigation commission to be created, and for the senior members of the previous government to be either tried in Sudanese courts on extradited to the International Criminal Court investigation in Darfur.Displaced people held mass protests in Mershing in South Darfur on 15–16 September 2019 and in Nyala on 17 September after armed men wearing Rapid Support Forces uniforms shot dead University of Zalingei student Munir Hamid as well as Adam Mohamed, Hashim Karameldin and Radwan Abdelrahman. The protestors considered the transitional government to be responsible for the deaths and called for "the militias" to be disarmed.
On 17 September, residents of Simit and other villages in Northern state protested against the construction of a new mine by Hamid Mining Company on the grounds of the risks of pollution from mercury and cyanide used during the extraction procedures. On the same day, people from South Kordofan protested in Khartoum to call for mining to be suspended, as ordered by the governor of South Kordofan but disobeyed by some mining companies. The protestors showed photographs of victims of the cyanide used in the mining process and called for local companies including El Sunut, al-Junaid, Abarsi and international mining companies to stop mining.
On 18 and 19 September, the Sudanese Professionals Association, the Sudanese resistance committees, government employees and other el-Gadarif residents organised protests in el-Gadarif calling for the removal of the state governor on the grounds of government-controlled radio and television not reporting on activities of the Forces of Freedom and Change and the situation of people affected by flooding, and against the governor's "anti-revolutionary position". On the same two days, the SPA protested in front of courts in Geneina against the trials of eight SPA coordinators, which they considered to be show trials punishing the SPA members for having organised protests and a strike.
Teachers and other public servants in Red Sea protested on 18 September calling for senior officials associated with the previous government to be dismissed.
Engineers and other workers of the White Nile Sugar Workers Union in White Nile protested on 17 September calling for officials of the previous government to be dismissed. Employers of the protestors dismissed three of the engineers and started investigations into others, which the protestors' committee, the Temporal Committee for the Restoration of the White Nile Sugar Workers Union, considered to be retaliation for having participated in the protest.
On 22 September, Sudanese police used tear gas against students protesting in Nyala in South Darfur against bread shortages and transport failures and calling for the state governor to be dismissed. The FFC condemned the "use of tear gas and live bullets against peaceful protestors", called for civilian governors to be appointed, and called for an immediate investigation into the actions of the police.
On 26 September, two thousand people protested in support of Waleed Abdelrahman Hassan, a Sudanese student arrested in Cairo for alleged participation in the 21 September street protests in Egypt. The solidarity protest took place in Khartoum in front of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Egyptian Embassy. The SPA called for Abdelrahman Hassan to be able to contact his family, choose a lawyer and not be tortured or coerced. Abdelrahman Hassan's friends and relatives stated that an apparent confession by him broadcast by MBC Masr on 26 September, in which he stated support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, was a forced confession, given Abdelrahman Hassan's long-term opposition to Islamists in Sudan under the Omar al-Bashir government, for which he was arrested in 2013 and 2018, and during the Sudanese Revolution. Abdelrahman Hassan's friend Mohammed Saleh described the idea of Hassan supporting the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as "unbelievable". The SPA stated that the video broadcast was "shameful" and that, "We stress here that the era when Sudanese citizens were humiliated inside or outside their country has gone and will never return." Abedelrahman Hassan was freed on 2 October.
October 2019
On 13 October protestors in el-Hilaliya in Gezira started a sit-in calling for the administrative head of el-Hilaliya to be dismissed, for the security committee to be dissolved, and for improvements to be made in education, health care, electricity and the environment. The administrative head was dismissed on 19 October. The week-long sit-in continued on 20 October, with protestors considering a shift of the protest to the state capital Wad Madani if their demands were not met.On 18 October, further protests against the use of cyanide and other toxic molecules in gold mining took place in Talodi. The protestors called for the Rapid Support Forces to stop guarding the mining plants, for the Amir of Talodi to be dismissed, and for improved Talodi Hospital services. The RSF beat protest supporter Hussein Noureljalil in the head with their rifle butts. Regular army forces rescued Noureljalil and took him to Talodi Hospital.
On 21 October 20 thousand people protested in Freedom Square in Khartoum and in other towns in Sudan calling for the National Congress Party, which dominated politics during the al-Bashir government, to be dissolved, and for its senior members to be tried in court. There were no reports of casualties. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok gave a speech marking the 55th anniversary of the 1964 uprising, in which he said "the revolution needs greater efforts to be completed and achieve its goals", after firing several top bureaucrats associated with al-Bashir's government the previous week.
The 21 October protestors also called for the investigation into the 3 June Khartoum massacre to be carried out transparently and into all suspects, including members of the civilian–military Sovereignty Council who were formerly members of the Transitional Military Council.
November 2019
On 11 November, Suakin residents blocked the main road linking Port Sudan to Tokar in protest against a week of electricity shtudowns. On the same day in Abu Naama in Sennar, protestors burnt the offices, fuel depots, tractors and factories of the Kanaf Abu Naama project in protest against carcinogens. Security services detained two residents.Students at Nyala University protested in front of local administrative offices on 11 November in protest against the lack of public transport, and called for university staff vehicles to be used to help transport students. On the same day in Abu Ushar in Gezira, protestors burnt tyres and blocked a major highway in protest against the lack of flour and the deterioration of other services. Also on 11 November, Jaafar Mohamedein of the Kanabi Congress, representing Kanabi, seasonal workers originally from Darfur and other western parts of Sudan recruited and settled in Gezira, protested about racism by government and the local population at a meeting in Khartoum on 11 November with Mohamed Mahala, representing Sovereignty Council member Mohammed al-Ta'ishi, and Sudan Liberation Movement/Army-Minni Minnawi members. Mohamedein called for the rights of the Kanabi to participate in the political process and for the creation of a Sovereignty Council commission to defend Kanabi rights.
December 2019
On 11 December, people in Tawila in North Darfur protested against armed attacks by camel and cattle herders against farmers and people living in camps for those displaced by the War in Darfur. On 13 December 200 people protested in West Darfur against corruption, called for the state governor to be dismissed, and against the lack of bread and fuel.On 17 December, students at the University of Ed Daein in East Darfur protested against the drowning of a student in a ground water tank, accusing the Student Support and Welfare Fund of the al-Bashir epoch of negligence. Farmers in North Darfur blocked roads in protest against the theft and destruction of the crops by "outlaws".
January 2020
Two thousand women demonstrated in Khartoum on 2 January 2020. They marched to prime minister Hamdok's office and submitted a petition signed by 46 citizens' groups and 13 political parties called for Sudan to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The women complained that a list of nominees for state governors is a men-only list and called for laws against female genital mutilation and child marriage.On 15 January, ex-security agents from Sudan's former intelligence service, National Intelligence and Security Service, mutinied, engaging in a violent conflict with forces from their former employer, renamed the General Intelligence Service, in Khartoum. According to Al Jazeera, the conflict resulted in the death of 2 soldiers, leaving 4 wounded. Sovereignty Council member Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo attributed responsibility to former intelligence chief general Salah Gosh. Gosh was alleged to have escaped to Egypt after Bashir's government was overthrown by Sudan's regular armed forces. Egyptian authorities did not confirm Gosh's location.
On 27 January, Ethiopian refugees rallied in front of the UN Refugee Agency buildings in Khartoum, complaining that they have their rights as refugees were not recognised, preventing them for either acquiring a nationality by naturalization or byresettlement.
On 28 January, twenty Sudanese protested in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum, calling for the return of relatives deployed against their wills to Libya and Yemen as mercenaries in the Second Libyan Civil War and the Yemeni Civil War. According to the demonstrators, their relatives had been deceived by an Emirati company, Black Shield, which had led them to believe that they were to be employed as security guards in the UAE. The families of the victims also protested outside the Emirati embassy in Khartoum on the same day.
About 50 young men returned to Libya the same day, following the protests outside the UAE embassy.
On 31 January, a day after the Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Badawi announced a plan to gradually cut fuel subsidies over 18 months, the Sudanese Professionals Association called for a "million man march" in Khartoum, which they described as an "expression of national unity" in protest against government policies.
February 2020
Several Sudanese demonstrated outside the government headquarters in Khartoum on 4 February in protest against the 3 February secret meeting between the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel stated that Sudan and Israel had agreed at the meeting to normalise relations. The two-hour meeting was held in Entebbe, Uganda. The Sudanese government claimed that it had not been notified of the plan to hold the meeting. Politician and religious figure Abdullahi Yousif claimed that Burhan did not have permission to meet with the Israeli prime minister without authorization from other government members, and described the meeting as a betrayal for Allah. High-ranking military officers met at army headquarters in Khartoum and expressed support for the Burhan–Netanyahu meeting. Al-Burhan stated that his meeting with Netanyahu had been intended to "protect national security". The Sovereignty Council stated that the Sudanese position in relation to Palestine and in support of the rights of Palestinians had not changed. Al-Burhan also stated that relations between Sudan and Israel remained "the responsibility of the designated institutions, in accordance with the Constitutional Document".On 12 February, Human Rights Watch stated that former President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is set to finally answer for his crimes in Darfur, as the Sudanese leaders plan on collaborating with the International Criminal Court. However, the backing of Sudan's military in the handing over of the former president to the ICC, lies with great uncertainty. The decision was reached, when rebel groups and the transitional authorities of Sudan held peace talks in the capital of South Sudan in Juba on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera. The BBC added that three more people are expected to be handed over to the ICC alongside Omar al-Bashir. Also, a senior official of the Sudanese government disclosed that they are figuring out a way that al-Bashir and the three others can be presented to the ICC without being extradited to the Hague.
The Sudanese Professionals Association, called for a protest against the government on 20 February, following the dismissal of officers who actively aided the revolution that led to the removal of Omar al-Bashir last year in April. As the protesters gathered in hundreds to demand for the reinstatement of officers and soldiers who were dismissed last week, security forces fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd. At least 17 people were reported to have been injured in the crackdown, according to Reuters. All the victims who were wounded have been urged by the Sudanese Doctors Central Committee to visit the Federal Hospital in order to receive appropriate treatment.
However, in Abu Jubeiha in South Kordofan, hundreds of protesters rallied through the streets on 24 February, to protest against the state government's decision to permit the resumption of mining activities by two companies in the town which has left the area highly polluted. The European Union on 29 February, pledged its support for the transitional government of Sudan with €100 million, considering the deteriorating economic situation of the country. The EU representative also added that they are completely willing and ready to ensure smooth political transition in Sudan, with every means they have available. Joseph Borrell Fontells, the EU representative, is also expected to visit North Darfur after his two-day visit in Khartoum, according to Darfur24.
March 2020 - present
On 1 March, over 100 diplomats including ambassadors and administrators, linked with the former leader of Sudan Omar Al Bashir, were sacked by the Empowerment Removal Committee of Sudan. The deputy head of the committee disclosed that 109 ambassadors, diplomats and administrators were sacked from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside those who were hired via political and social support. It was also reported that last month, assets of the former ruling party were confiscated by the committee, according to Reuters. The committee was created in November last year in accordance with a law, purposely for taking apart the government established by Al Bashir.On 5 March, the Physicians for Human Rights organisation, disclosed the results of an investigation into the use of violence by armed security forces against pro-democracy protesters in Khartoum sit-in June 2019, which showed that up to 240 people were killed and more than a hundred others wounded. According to the rights group, the report was founded based on statements of several eyewitnesses, interviews with health practitioners, as well thousands of online video footage and pictures of the attacks. However, doctors associated with the protest movement claimed that at least 128 people were killed, while the authorities argued that the number was 87 and also falsified the allegations that they had given the go-ahead for the deadly 3 June attack. The PHR in the report, further accused the security forces of Sudan for carrying out excessive use of force against pro-democracy protesters. They have also urged member states of the UN to ensure that the perpetrators have been held accountable for their injustice.
On 9 March, an investigation by Amnesty International, based on fresh evidence, exposed the involvement of all branches of Sudan's security forces in the violence carried out against protesters in 2018 and 2019, which showed how protesters were killed. The group has called on the authorities in Sudan to bring all those responsible for the death of protesters to justice through a just trial, that does not result in punishment by death.
On 3 June, several Sudanese protesters gathered in the streets of Khartoum, to seek out justice for the dozens of protesters that were killed in the 3 June 2019 crackdown. The protesters held up signs, images of members of the Rapid Support forces that they held responsible for the killings and burnt tires as they rallied through the streets. They also shut down roads in the capital Khartoum, as protests reportedly took place in other towns and cities across the country as well. However, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, while marking the anniversary of the horrific event in a televised statement, assured the Sudanese that the perpetrators of the crackdown will be brought to justice.
On 9 June, The bank account of former leader Omar al-Bashir was seized, a Sudanese anti-corruption committee disclosed on Tuesday. In addition, five foreign exchange bureaus which were used to facilitate his administration were also closed. According to the committee, monthly transactions of millions of U.S. dollars were believed to have been carried out through the bank account which was confiscated. The amount received through Omar's personal bank account monthly had reached $20 million, Dabanga TV added.
On 10 June, hundreds of Sudanese protested in Khartoum, against the formation of a United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, which was created to assist the political transition in the country. Several protesters waved the Sudanese flag, including banners indicating their objection to the foreign domination of Sudan, Anadolu Agency reported. In an attempt to break up the crowd which gathered near the army headquarters, security forces reportedly fired tear gas at the protesters.
On 29 June, protesters in Nierteti in Central Darfur took to the streets in thousands, calling on security forces to put a stop to the deadly attacks carried out by gunmen on a daily basis in the area. The protesters further demanded increased protection, punishment to the gunmen responsible for the attacks, as well as ensuring they have laid down arms. A day before the sit-in started, unknown gunmen reportedly killed a woman and a soldier of the Sudan Armed Forces near a camp in Nierteti.
On 30 June, thousands of Sudanese protesters gathered in the streets of Khartoum, Omdurman, as well as Khartoum North, calling for rapid reform and larger civilian leadership in the country. Several demonstrators expressed their backing of Abdalla Hamdok's cause, while urging his government to ensure their demands have been met. During the massive peaceful rally, one person was reportedly killed, with many others wounded. The reported casualty was believed to have died as a result of a bullet to the chest, with 44 others also wounded by either bullets or tear gas, the Sudan Doctors Central Committee disclosed. Similar protests were also held in eastern Sudan's Kassala, and across the country, with some protesters shutting down roads, burning tires and chanting slogans of the anti-Bashir movement.
On 3 July, protesters in Nertiti in Central Darfur returned to the sit-in outside a government office for the fourth consecutive day, threatening to continue with the demonstrations until their calls were answered, according to the Urdu Point. Following the protests, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stated on Friday, that a delegation would be sent by the government to the area, in order to meet their demands. According to Dabanga, the protesters had already rejected a delegation from the security committee of Central Darfur, who visited the state capital Zalingei on Thursday. The protesters believe that filing several complaints regarding the insecurity in the area, the state officials haven't put in enough efforts to bring an end to the attacks.
On 5 July, the transition government of Sudan disclosed that the Chief of Police, as well as his deputy were dismissed, as the Sudanese protesters continue to demand for justice against officials associated with the former government of Omar al-Bashir, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stated on his Twitter account that Ezz Eldin Sheikh Ali had replaced the director-general of the Sudan’s Police Force, Adel Mohamed Bashaer. The Sudanese parliament however, did not provide any reason that led to the dismissal of the top officials. According to Reuters, both police officials who were dismissed are accused by several pro-democracy groups and protesters of having ties with the government of ousted ruler President Omar al-Bashir.
On 13 July, during a peaceful protest in the Fataborno village of Sudan’s Northern Darfur where several people gathered to demand for better security in the area, armed men reportedly opened fire at them killing at least 10 people and 17 others injured, according to VOA News. Separately, a police station and cars were said to have been set ablaze by an unknown group of protesters in Kutum town in North Darfur state. On Sunday, demonstrators called for the establishment of a civilian government and improved security, considering that military officers are still occupying the positions of state governor, even though al-Bashir’s administration had already been ousted since April last year. Following the attacks, a state of emergency was declared by the provincial government in the region, adding that more troops would be sent to the affected areas, as well as nearby towns. The United Nations and African Union mission in Darfur also stated that it had sent a delegation to Northern Darfur’s Kutum town, amidst the ongoing violence in the area.
However, the acting governor of North Darfur, Maj Gen Malik Khojali assured the UNAMID and other humanitarian organisations that peace had been restored in both Kutum and Fata Borno, while urging relief organisations to come to the aid of victims of the violence.
On 17 July, several Sudanese in Khartoum came out to criticize the new government reforms which they considered to be anti-Islamic. Also, protesters in the east and north of Khartoum joined the demonstrations which began after Muslims’ Friday prayers, as they chanted slogans against secularism and the replacement of laws made by God. In anticipation of the protests, bridges connecting to Khartoum were shut down by security forces from 6:00 p.m on Thursday, to the end of Friday, according to the Khartoum State’s Security Committee. Some of these reforms included permitting non-Muslims to consume alcohol, as well as decriminalizing the conversion from Islam to other religions. Different mosques across Sudan during the Friday prayers, blamed the government for defecting from Islamic laws and encouraged the people to see to the end of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok’s present administration.
On 21 July, Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir was taken to a courtroom in the capital Khartoum to face trial for partaking in the 1989 coup that brought him into power. Despite being already sentenced on the charges of corruption, there’s a possibility that al-Bashir might be given the death penalty, if convicted for the 1989 coup, the BBC added. Al-Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on the allegations of crimes against humanity, genocide and other war crimes in Darfur. Prior to statements/evidence being presented, the court decided to adjourn the trial to 11 August, in order to resume in a much larger court which would accommodate more lawyers and family relatives of the defendants.
On 26 July, UN officials disclosed that a new wave of violence erupted in West Darfur, which led to the death of over 60 people and 60 others injured, the Jakarta Post reported. On Saturday afternoon, about 500 gunmen were said to have attacked Masteri Town, north of Beida, in Darfur, setting houses and part of the local market on fire, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN revealed in a statement. In light of the attack, about 500 locals were said to have organized a protest calling for increased security, refusing to bury the dead until immediate actions are taken by the authorities. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok assured the delegation of women he met with from the region Sunday, that security forces would be dispatched in order to ensure that the citizens are protected, as well as the agricultural season. He added that a joint security force comprising both the army and police would be deployed in the five states of the Darfur region for increased protection.