By now, we can assume almost everyone are aware about the crisis that happened in Sudan recently. It was shocking to read reports that stated many lives were treated in out-of-world inhumane ways. Murdered, raped, tortured, threatened, sexually discriminated and some people even went missing. Not only that, internet access was also shut down due to the crisis there. So how did everything start?
It all began in late 2018 when President Omar al-Bashir imposed emergency measures to combat economic collapse. This, in turn, had caused cuts to bread and fuel subsidies which sparked demonstrations by the people. They demanded the removal of President Bashir and his government who had been in charge for over 30 years. Long story short, on April 11th the military announced that the president had been overthrown. So, hurray, right? But not quite.
After the coup, the military took control under a council known as the Transitional Military Council (TMC). But their reign was condemned around the world following a violent attack on protestors in Khartoum which caused at least 30 casualties. The protestors demanded that the authority to be transferred to a civilian administration.
After discussions between the two sides, assisted by others, both sides agreed to a three-year transition period to civilian rule on May 15th. They expected a full three years were required to dismantle everything concerning former President Bashir’s government policies to allow a fair election. They also agreed to build a new government, different from the old one. Unfortunately, the military scrapped all agreements and stated that a new election will be held in nine months. The head of TMC said that they decided to stop negotiating and cancel what had been agreed on.
After what happened, organizations continued to mediate between the two sides, for instance the African Union who mostly backs the protestors. Other than that, we can only hope for the best for Sudan.
#BlueforSudan
Written by:Ashraf Danial bin Mohamad Fauzi
Proofread by:Nur Izzah Arrina bt Muhamad Nasir