[View the story "Student-led #SudanRevolts enter sixth day" on Storify ]Student-led #SudanRevolts enter sixth day Activists in Sudan call for increased anti-government protests and the "downfall of the regime". Storified by The Stream · Thu, Jun 21 2012 14:32:46
السودان ينتفض Sudan Revolts June20salmaelwardany
Excerpts from Elwardany's report published Wednesday:
Khartoum State Governor Abdel Rahman Khedr dissolved his Cabinet as part of Sudan’s austerity measures, which have sparked five days of student protests.
About 200 students gathered at the University of Khartoum early today to prepare for another anti-government rally. Police fired tear gas and warnings shots yesterday to disperse protesters, who responded by throwing rocks and chanting, “Khartoum rise up, rise up, we won’t be ruled by a thief.”
Close to 100 arrests in connection with the protests have been
reported , including the mass arrest of students at a meeting organised by the Youth Alliance for Change scheduled for a number of groups to sign an "alliance agreement". Maha El-Senosy, a human rights activist tweeting under the handle
@MimzicalMimz , also said that she had been detained. Prominent activist Mohamad al-Boshi along with members of Girifna were also arrested. The Stream
covered his earlier arrest during protests in January.
Boshi was with @girifna on phone 5 mins b4 his arrest his house was surrounded by NISS #SudanRevoltsGirifna Media
Just got stopped by NISS infront of jamaaMimz
trial of Sudan uni students who organized protest at south wing on Tuesday 10 students sentenced with lashes #SudanRevolts #السودان_تنتفضGirifna Media
Sudanese on the ground and abroad say the motivation for protesting goes beyond the austerity measures. In the video below, protesters call, "The people want the downfall of the regime", the omnipresent slogan of the revolutions across the Arab world this year.
التغيير الان: اليوم الرابع للانتفاضة 2sudanchangenow
People also gathered outside Sudan's National Umma Party headquarters to protest. They chanted, according to
@Shamarat , "Freedom, peace, justice and liberty is the people's choice".
This evening protest out of the National Umma Party HQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CYQ87-wp6E #السودان_ينتفض #Sudan_revoltsNamaa Al-Mahdi نعماء
ندوة حزب الامة 20/6/2012nasozaz
Respectfully, dinosaur leaders of established opposition political parties need2 4get "dialogue" with NCP & get with #SudanRevolts program.Amir Ahmad Nasr
Austerity measures are merely the tipping point leading to the protests, but definitely not the sole reason.. #SudanRevoltsDina
Blogger Yousif Mubarak wrote this in a
report for Girifna:
Protests, which started on January 30, 2011, and have continued over the last year and a half, have not been sustained largely due to the uncertainty surrounding the separation of South Sudan, as well as poor organization and ruthless government crackdowns.This latest wave of protests, however, feels different. Motivated by economic shocks, protestors, youth and university students, are vowing to continue until the regime is toppled, even in the face of brutal resistance by security forces. A mass protest to do just that (and announced mostly on Facebook) has been planned for June 30, 2012, the 23rd anniversary of the National Congress Party’s (NCP) rise to power. Grappling with an annual inflation rate that reached 30.4 percent as of May 2012, the Sudanese can wait no longer.
As mentions of the hashtag #SudanRevolts (as well as its Arabic equivalent #السودان_ينتفض) have spiked, numbers at the protests remain in the hundreds.
I can't wait for the revolution taking place on twitter to extend to the streets. We would be NCP-free in a matter of hours. #SudanRevoltsMimz
Don't forget those whose names we don't know, who are not on twitter but out there on the streets.. #SudanRevoltsDina
Sudan last weekend saw protesters returning to the streets, this time to march against unpopular austerity measures. The protests were reportedly initiated on June 16 by female students at the University of Khartoum, in response to price increases for meals and transportation. A speech by President Omar Al Bashir discussed the measures, including reduction of fuel subsidies and cuts to regional governments, and did little to appease the demonstrations. This video from the protests uploaded Sunday shows students being teargassed and chanting.
بدايات احداث جامعة الخرطوم / شارع المين 17 /69peupTPOlBYMuRu7IGWdQQ
The main reason behind today's #KhartoumUniv protest: Sudan Raises Transport Costs 35% Amid Plan to Cut Fuel Subsidy http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-13/sudan-raises-transport-costs-35-percent-amid-plan-to-cut-fuel-subsidySalma Elwardany
Ending fuel subsidies is particularly contentious due to fears of further fueling inflation, which is already at 30 per cent. Though previous demonstrations at the University of Khartoum have not gained momentum among the broader population, opposition politicians reportedly
said they too will protest the planned end to fuel subsidies.
Sudanese women in the protests #sudan #السودان #UofK http://pic.twitter.com/At817okrSherehan Abdulmutti
Another pic for the protests in Khartoum صوره اخرى للتظاهرات في الخرطوم#السودان #sudan #Uofk http://pic.twitter.com/k9MaAmqmSherehan Abdulmutti
Pictures tweeted by Sudanese activists showed demonstrators met with force by university police. The protests
spread to other universities and to other parts of Khartoum.
Protests reported today: Kalakla (alQubba); Ahliya Uni. (Hamd Nil St. closed); Juba Uni. (Kadaro complex), UofS (South wing) #السودان_ينتفضYousif Elmahdi
sudanese security officers on their way to suppress the protesters#sudan #السودان #UofK http://pic.twitter.com/CIUQAAbqSherehan Abdulmutti
I just came near (aldaym/khartoum) the police are all over the place and the streets closed by fire ....#السودان_ينتفضMohammed Ahmed
@AJStream http://pic.twitter.com/u0t1I6A8Mohammed Ahmed
As the protests continued without attention from international media, the lack of coverage was a focus of netizens' frustration.
Dear followers: There's a media blackout surrounding #SudanRevolts, please RT and spread the word... #السودان_ينتفضMimz
Anger among students and citizens from media reluctance to report events in KhartoumAla
Mainstream Sudanese newspapers this morning: No reports about the protests that have been ongoing in KRT for 3consecutive days #SudanRevoltsMimz
Meanwhile in Sudan State TV, the winners of al shihada al sanawiya are being announced. Break out the 7alawa bagara & the Pepsi bottlesMimz
u better be kiddin me ... Only 2 min of the truth .... Alarabia tv #السودان_ينتفضMohammed Ahmed
@Shamarat @Sally__Osama @Usiful_ME @ajarabic @ajenglish @ajstream @St_Abdul Finally some coverage #السودان_ينتفض #Sudan http://pic.twitter.com/sD64IDsUAmru
@AJStream you are late but good that we could make u catch up with #السودان_ينتفض #Sudan_Revolts http://pic.twitter.com/MPyezl8ymuhammed hamadain
Members of the group Girifna ("We are fed up") have been a center of activist opposition to the government, with many detained by security services over the past year. Along with other groups, they are calling for a general protest on June 30.
.@girifna calls on all citizens of #Sudan to take to the streets on #June30 & celebrate the final anniversary of NCP's reign #SudanRevoltsGirifna Media
Though protests have continued throughout the year, they have not approached the level of intensity that toppled the governments of other North African countries.
And just when you thought the Arab Spring's dimming, #Sudan's on the go.. #السودان_ينتفضLoubna Olama
so Sudan is almost 1.5 years late entering its Arab spring, so lets say hello to it #arabspringHafez - حافظ
The "Arab Spring" started in Sudan: April 1964 and again in Oct 1985, this is not new to #Sudan #السودان_ينتفضAmru
Many have questioned over the past year why Sudan's protests have not gained momentum. Blogger Yousif Elmahdi wrote about this topic in a post, "Sudan: Are We a Failed Nation?":
We all know Sudan is a failed state, but does the fact that we continue to do nothing make us a failed nation? Most Sudanese would gladly swap their current plight for that of Arab Spring nations prior to their uprisings. Why are we so reluctant to take a stand? Some say hopelessness - convinced of a lack of prospect for change, acquiescing, waiting for reform, or broadening their definition of a silver lining in desperate search of solace. Others wait for the opposition to mobilize – in itself hopeless. Even strong opposition would struggle for traction; some may play orchestrating roles in directing momentum once it builds but the majority will do little more than jump on the bandwagon. The favorite of the NCP propaganda machine is fear of the alternative, a notion many have adopted but becomes increasingly difficult to accept when faced with reality.
Others said anti-government protests did not gain traction because of the split created by the independence of South Sudan. Tensions between the two countries over oil revenues, which came almost exclusively from the South, have played a major part in worsening Sudan's economic woes.
كل 22 سنة الشعب السوداني بيرمي نظام ظالم في مزبلة التاريخ .. بس المرة دي 23 سنة لانو صدمة الجنوب دخلتنا في غيبوبة سنة #السودان_ينتفضTahir
Translation: "Every 22 years the Sudanese people throw an oppressive regime into the garbage dump of history. But this time it's 23 years because the shock of [the emergence] of South Sudan left us comatose for a year".
Many of the activists involved believe the recent protests are a turning point.
@AJStream @girifna @MimzicalMimz third day and we are moving forward to our aim..soon every st. will be FREE from NCP poisionShayma Idris
@OsmanBMusa there are nation wide protests ya Osman, mainly sparked by UofK and its counterparts. There's no milyoniya yet but there will b.Mimz
Girifna must be aware that time for revolution is NOW, mobilize all people of Sudan to march the streets for revolution #SudanRevolts #Sudanيسقط العسكر أولاً
Sudanese will have to unite together & forget their differences. if this is done the military will fall to the pressure soon #SudanRevoltsيسقط العسكر أولاً
The Stream
covered the challenges facing Sudan and South Sudan six months after separation and interviewed blogger Amir Ahmad and human rights activist Dalia Haj-Omar on the way forward for the country. You can watch the episode below:
Sudan, six months after separationajstream
