Protests Against Military Coup Ongoing in Sudan

On October 25, a military backed-coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the power- sharing agreement between civilians and military leaders in the wake of Sudan’s 2019 revolution. According to Al Jazeera, al-Burhan’s coup was declared a state of emergency, dissolving the sovereignty council and transitional ministers, suspending work on the Constitution, and relieving governors of their positions. The military arrested a large group of government supporters and put Civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on house arrest.

In an interview with Vice News, retired general Fath al-Rahmen Muhyiddin claimed that the military executed the coup because the people have failed to see improvements in living standards since Bashir’s time in power. He continued that stagnation is evident of a failed system, which the military aims to fix.

The October 25 coup did not come as a surprise for most Sudanese nationals; the military had attempted a similar operation on September 21, 2021, which many viewed as a practice run for October. Since this date, many civil society organizations have been demonstrating in fear of return to an authoritarian regime similar to that of Omar Bashir, the dictator ousted in 2019.

Demonstrations have increased in scale and number since October 25, led by civilian groups such as Forces of Freedom and Change and the Sudanese Professionals Association. As Nazik Awad of Open Democracy wrote, these protests are uniquely grassroots, with organization coming primarily from resistance committees, youth groups, women’s groups, professional unions, and political parties. They have an impressively far reach in part due to the use of Rendok, a street language originating from rural migrants in Khartoum. The adoption of this language has engaged a class of people not usually included in civil society.

The Coordinated Resistance Committees, one of the largest organizations, has established that it has seven demands and is looking to engage in civil disobedience until they are met. These demands are the following:

1. Overthrowing the military coup and handing over full power to civilians.

2. Handing over all members of the coup council to urgent and immediate trials on charges of the military coup.

3. No dialogue and no negotiation with any member of the coup military council and all members of the security committee and the rejection of international inter-conversation.

4. Dissolve all armed militias and reform the armed people’s forces according to a national belief that aims to protect the borders of the country and the rights of the people in freedom, peace, and justice.

5. The removal of the systemic forces from the political process permanently, by criminalizing and preventing the practice of politics by the military.

6. Formation of all structures of the transitional authority in a specific period, under the supervision of relevant professional and academic bodies.

7. Total independence of the sovereignty of the Sudanese state in regards to all economic, political and security decisions.

Though many members of the public support these demands and there is mass mobilization against the coup, Sudan’s future is unclear. Though it has denied it, the military has carried out violent crackdowns on peaceful protests, shooting tear gas and live rounds into crowds. As of November 21, the death toll has reached 40. As evidenced by Vice News, protestors and organizers also face the risk of arbitrary arrest and beatings by the police.

Though, it seems that there is a degree of stability on the horizon; the Guardian claims that Prime Minister Hamdok has been released. He made a new deal with the military to establish a new technocratic cabinet, supported by the UN and United States, with the aim of restoring order to the nation. It is imperative to note, however, that most key resistance committees oppose this deal. They have vowed to continue to protest until a government is established without the involvement of the military.

- Cameron Sterling