Sudanese Demand Civilian Transition To Democracy

Sudan Democracy

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Sudan Democracy: Nearly 20 000 Sudanese have rallied in the capital of Khartoum on Thursday to demand a civilian-led transition to democratic government and accused the generals now in power of derailing the transition to democracy. They were met by tear gas fired by the security forces.

Many protesters came from outside Khartoum by bus and train from the cities of Atbara and Madani. Some of the thousands waiting for the trains chanted “the army is Sudan’s army, not Burhan’s army”. General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan is a Sudanese politician and Sudanese Army general who is currently serving as Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan.

“The army is Sudan’s army, not Burhan’s army”

Before the general assuming this role in August 2019, he was the de facto head of state of Sudan as Chairman of the Transitional Military Council after former Chairman Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf resigned and transferred control in April 2019.

In early June 2019, the Sudanese Security Forces and Rapid Support Forces, including Janjaweed militias, led by al-Burhan and his deputy cracked down on peaceful protests in Sudan. Starting with the 3 June Khartoum massacre. Dozens of peaceful protesters were killed. About forty of the bodies were thrown in the river Nile. Hundreds were tortured, violated and raped in the streets of Khartoum.

During Thursday’s demonstration, people waved Sudanese flags and chanted pro-democracy slogans. They accuse the Sudanese military of dragging its feet on transferring power to civilians, purging state institutions of remnants of al-Bashir’s regime and bringing to justice those responsible for the killing of dozens of protesters in June 2019, when security forces dispersed a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum.

The latest protest rallies come following a coup attempt last week. Which laid bare divisions between military and civilian groups sharing power. In the days and hours after the coup attempt, civilian officials accused the military of overstepping its bounds. A senior military source said a group of officers associated with the overthrown administration of al-Bashir “were involved in the attempt but were immediately suspended.”

Image: Ola A .Alsheikh

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