Sudan Revolts - June 26, 2012

Published by Portside
June 26, 2012

[reports from Khartoum - Day 11 of the protests. Portside
received the following email and press message from
#SudanRevolts in the Sudan earlier today.]

=====

Greetings,

Protests continue to breakout on the streets of Khartoum and
it's outskirts for the eleventh day.

Protesters are standing strong, chanting for a change of
regime while President Omer AlBashir's government continues
to deny the existence of dissent. We the members of a
diaspora who have been denied our freedom of speech are
breaking the silence and exerting our right to make our
voices heard from this day forward.

Omar Al Bashir's regime is known for relentlessly inflicting
terror on those who speak out; as a result, many protesters
have been arrested or kidnapped.

It is of great importance that the International media
portrays an accurate and adequate overview of current events
in the Sudan for humanitarian purposes above all. If the
brutal actions towards protestors committed by the National
Congress Party (NCP) go unrecognized they will continue and
intensify.

As part of Sudanese youth we would like to provide you with
an overview and timeline of this revolution and we urge you
to report on the situation. In order for the peaceful
protests to be effective, it requires a platform and
audience. The government has essentially censored the media
so the only way for us to be heard is through you.

Thank you for letting our voices be heard.

Kindest Regards 
#SudanRevolts

=====

PROTESTS CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE IN SUDAN CONTINUE FOR A
TENTH DAY

Tuesday, 26th June 2012

A mass protest in Sudan has been announced for Friday June
29, 2012, following demonstrations calling for a change in
regime over the past ten days. The protest is dubbed "Licking
Elbows" in response to President Bashir and his Assistant
Nafi Ali Nafi s repeated proclamation that those that weren t
happy with their rule could "lick their elbows".

An International day of solidarity has also been planned for
those demanding the fall of the National Congress Party on
June 30, 2012 which marks the NCP s 23rd  Anniversary in
power. In the meantime, members of the change movement have
taken to Twitter, Facebook and other media outlets to voice
their opposition and to connect with those on the front line
who have been using the hash tag #SudanRevolts to provide
updates and upload footage in an attempt to reach out to the
media.

On aggregate #SudanRevolts estimates that 10,000 to 20,000
have demonstrated across Khartoum state over the past ten
days and the protesters include not only students but
citizens as well; protests have spontaneously been occurring
in neighborhoods around the country. Much larger protests
have reached several states and cities including Port Sudan,
Kassala, North Kordofan, White Nile, Darfur and Gedarif.

The demonstrations have continuously built up momentum and
intensity since protests broke out on June 16, 2012 as female
students from the University of Khartoum staged an impromptu
demonstration opposing a 35% increase in transportation
prices, increases in general food prices and dormitories
fees. Once joined by their male counterparts they moved off
campus to Jamhuriya Street in the center of the city and were
met by police forces that quickly dispersed the
demonstrations. The police forces subsequently raided the
university dorms, beating and harassing the female occupants.
As the news spread, demonstrations began around the city in
solidarity with the students.

By June 20, the fifth day of demonstrations, protests had
grown in size and spread throughout Khartoum and the tri-
state area. Numerous universities had joined the movement and
staged their own protests, including the University of Sudan,
Al- Ahliya, Tighana University and Universities in Khartoum
North. The outer state universities of Al Obeid, Sinnar and
Gezira also soon joined in calling for a regime change. At
all the protests, students loyal to the NCP (National
Congress Party joined security forces in assaulting the
protesters, using metal rods, knives and Molotov cocktails.

It did not take long for locals to join the revolt and June
22, 2012 brought "Sand Storm Friday" that started after
Friday prayers and saw yet another series of demonstrations
breakout across several districts in Khartoum, Bahri and
Omdurman. These protests continued into the early hours of
Saturday morning and demonstrations were reported in over 30
locations. Some locations have seen mass protests while
others involved several small groups using cat and mouse
tactics with police within district alleys.

There has been an intense police and national security
crackdown on the protests with extreme violence used not only
to quell but to hurt and capture. Injuries sustained by the
University of Khartoum students have been severe, to the
extent that the #SudanRevolts movement organized a blood
donation drive on their behalf. Several hundreds have been
arrested; many being released quickly but those perceived as
mobilizers are being detained at National Intelligence and
Security Services (NISS . Several perceived mobilizers are
being arrested from their homes, mostly youth activists
(independent or party affiliated  but opposition politicians
are also now increasingly being arrested. The injured are
intercepted by NISS at hospitals - this has been witnessed at
Omdurman Hospital.

The revolt comes after 23 long years of conflict, oppression
and restrictions of basic freedoms. The latest fiscal
austerity measures, announced by President Al Bashir on June
18, 2012, and entailing 50-60% increases in fuel, sugar and
an across the board tax hike, was ultimately the straw that
broke the camel s back; the trigger for the long overdue
revolt. The current situation in Sudan grows desperate as
citizens struggle to make ends meet. Poverty in Sudan is
endemic, currently at 46.5% overall and 57.6% in rural areas
and growing more acute. Sudan s Human Development Index is
lowest of all MENA countries - 169 of 187 overall.

The following is a list of useful resources for information
on the revolution in Sudan:

Main opposition group site - http://www.girifna.com/

#SudanRevolts in pictures -
http://storify.com/rodrigodavies/sudanrevolts-in-pictures

#SudanRevolts Wordpress - http://sudanrevolts.wordpress.com/

#SudanRevolts Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sdn.revolts

#SudanRevolts Crowdvoice  - -
http://crowdvoice.org/sudan-protests

List of Sudanese blogs:

http://www.sudanesethinker.com/sudanese-bloggers/
http://redefiningthenarrative.com.au/
http://mimzology.blogspot.com/
http://sdunlimitedbloggers.blogspot.com/
http://bloodyredsaga.blogspot.se/

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