Day 38 of the Military Coup
Summary of Events
The Coordinating Body of Resistance Committees of Khartoum released the resistance schedule for the week:
THU: neighborhood protests
FRI: protest groups visiting families of martyrs
SAT: protests honoring female martyrs of the revolution
SUN: silent protests
MON: #Dec6March
The Sudan Central Doctors Committee reports the casualty toll from yesterday’s mass demonstrations in Khartoum at 98 people. The majority of injuries were of the extremities, resulting from teargas canisters; direct hits with teargas canisters to the head, face and chest were recorded, as well as 1 back injury leading to a broken vertebra.
In the aftermath of #Nov30March, PM Hamdok met with the new chief of police to discuss the organization’s future plans to ensure "people's right to peaceful protest". He also directed police to conduct investigation into the video of forces raiding hospital and attacking injured protesters, which surfaced amongst yesterday’s documentation footage.
In interview with Politico, #SudanCoup Council vice-chair Mohamed Hamdan Himedti said Europe and the US have "little choice" but to support this new government to "avert a refugee crisis". He said western powers should suspend suspicions of him and Burhan, and regard them as "sources of stability". Himedti's statements can be interpreted as an attempt to blackmail western powers, particularly considering the EU's previous partnership with the RSF under the Khartoum Process, which served to curtail migration to Europe.
In an interview with AlJazeera, former Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khalid Yousif gave an account of his arrest by #SudanCoup leadership, which he described as "brutal"; he was physically assaulted during arrest, and held in solitary confinement for a portion of his detention. The former minister said the military camp was "not serious" about implementing the Constitutional Document during the transitional period. He also declared that Hamdok had "made a big mistake" in signing agreement with Burhan and the military. He went on to say that the coup orchestrators would not allow for free and fair elections.
Today, US Congress held a hearing on "The Military Coup in Sudan: Implications for Human Rights". Bryan Hunt from the Bureau of African Affairs at the State Department said the Biden Administration is looking into nominating an ambassador to Sudan soon, and urged Congress not to commit the administration to laws pertaining to the current crisis. This could be interpreted as a message regarding the sanctions proposal currently led by Senator Chris Coons, and a sign that the Biden Administration - to quote journalist Wasil Ali Taha - "would rather take the diplomatic route for the time being."
Tomorrow, Resistance Committees of North Kordofan will hold mass demonstration; this will serve as an opener for the "December Demonstrations" (my name, not theirs) - a month of resistance to fight #SudanCoup and celebrate the third anniversary of the December Revolution, under these important dates:
6, 13, 19, 25, 30.