Sudan Will Revolt Again

I'm writing this post and very excited about the whole issue of #SudanRevolt. I think it was a success story rather than a sign of failure. Deeply in my heart I didn't expect this massive protests will withdraw NCP regime but I was convinced that the protestors were celebrating the "last" anniversary of Ingaz revolution. If Ingaz survived to celebrate its 24th anniversary; more protestors will join the celebration of the "last anniversary" next year.

After 23 years of oppression and crimes committed against regime opponents Its seems impossible in few days and even months to see thousands of people taking the streets and protesting against NCP regime.

On January 30th 2011 the protests lasts for less than an hour while June-July 2012 lasted for approximately 6 weeks. Since more virtual activists have joined on the ground demonstrations.

Sudan June-July 2012 revolution was a success story because regime opposition took another level compared to January 30th, 2011. The number of people who took the streets was incomparable to those of January 30th. Ordinary citizens who haven't any relation to politics and activism have joined the protests simply because they fed up with high living costs, oppression and high rates of corruption among government officials.

The rape of Safia Ishag on January 30th protests was an announcement and threatening message to all Sudanese women to protest. The brave Safia has inspired a lot of women to take the streets and even to ignite June-July 2012 protests. Women had too reasons to protest against NCP and the rape of Safia has changed from being an instrument of oppressing the protests to a reason and inspiration to start a new wave of protests.

The teenagers catalyzed the success story of June-July protests. They didn't witnessed the violent phase of Ingaz in the early 1990's so they have less fears than young activists who were born in the 1980's. High school students has lead many neighborhood protests; and because they are still in high school and they didn't get engaged in any political activities yet; NISS regarded them as "kids" and have no idea about them and even not aware by their brilliant protesting strategies. Even me I was surprised to know that the younger brother of my friend were involved in one of the biggest neighborhood protests; he has no political affiliation, very young and brave to handle arrest and one day under NISS custody. Now he is very motivated to continue the struggle against NCP after his detention ad torture by NISS. The teenagers of today are the next generation of politicians and human rights defenders.

photo from Bashir's Diaries FB page

The detained activists who were arrested from the Friday protests testified that they meet in detention many people who are not activists at all as housewives, high school students and even elderly people.

The protests occured in middle class inhabited neighborhoods as Wd Nubawi, Beit Almal, Eldeim, Jabra, Elgirif, Aldanagla and others; while the highly populated neighborhoods and the former IDP camps around Khartoum remained dormant; although they are the most impoverished and disadvantaged population. Many activists questioned the situation of displaced people around Khartoum and how they surrender to NCP. We should take into consideration that the moment those people join the peaceful revolution and take the streets this will be the end of NCP because of they are the majority of Khartoum population. The majority of them were displaced due to civil wars; many of them believe in armed struggle and are waiting for those groups to reach Khartoum and take the control over government. Joining one day protest by those people means not working that day and hence not earning money to feed a person or a family that day; taking the risk of joining the protests is affecting their survival directly.

The most influencing factor for marginalized persons not joining the peaceful revolution is the limited solidarity among the activists specifically and the whole Sudanese society with the displaced and minor groups. This has lead to the mistrust in the whole activists community and a huge social gap. While the cities around the world were protesting against war in Darfur; only Darfurian activists were protesting in Khartoum in the early 2000's. Now the western communities are campaigning against wars in Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile and the anti-war national campaign is limited to individual activists.

We cannot demand the displaced; the marginalized disadvantaged communities to join our revolution. Our cause is built basically around their grievances, but it took us a long time to do so. Its a matter of time and efforts to build trust on activism and peaceful opposition among these communities in order to join anti NCP; peaceful revolution.

The June-July 2012 revolution has redefined the notions of activists; solidarity and most importantly defeated the myth of undefeated NCP. The protests came to an end but the revolution never ends; soon or later more people will take the streets to bring the regime down. Till that time the activists community should pay their share in putting the revolution in the right track.

Freedom.. Peace & Justice... Sudan will revolt Again.

One Year After South Sudan's Secession, the North Is on Fire

Published here

"I called my mum and dad's mobiles but they were not picking up. I kept calling them for the whole of last night until their phones were switched off. Then I started calling our neighbors, one of them answered my call saying that my family and all the people ran away after war broke down in our village. Nobody was left behind except the dead." Ibtisam* is a student from Deling in Southern Kordofan and these were her words on Thursday 9 June 2011 when she spoke about the war she had suffered. One year ago.
I thought that the secession of South Sudan would be the price of peace; preserving the lives and the dignity of the Sudanese people so that we could hold the pain of our failure to coexist peacefully. But losing the South, not making peace and triggering a war in the new South is a nightmare. It is hard to think about your government's aircrafts bombing your fellow citizens and sleep comfortably that night, even if you are living thousands of miles away from the war zone. Our innocent people in the Nuba Mountains are losing their homes, their families and their lives; they are paying the price of our Government's greed.
Since June 2011, the Nuba Mountains have been a restricted access area with no relief or humanitarian aid able to reach the victims of war. While aircrafts have bombed villages, few local human rights monitors are documenting the violations. While the international community was silently watching, Blue Nile state followed the Nuba Mountains in its decent to war in September 2011.
Another episode of war began three months ago as clashes took place between South Sudan and Sudan in Heglig, an oil rich border area. These clashes affected the citizens of both countries. In Sudan, the escalation of war has worsened our poor economic situation even more and living expenses have doubled in just a few days. The lives of Southerners who remain in the north have been threatened by hate speeches made by President Al Bashir and Government officials. People went crazy on the streets chanting for Sudan's Armed Forces (SAF), to beat the "insects" of South Sudan's army as Al Bashir called them. One day after declaring victory in Heglig, a church was burnt in Khartoum.
Freedoms have shrunk since July 2011. We now have a one party government attempting to impose a single identity on the nation. Every person or group which dares to declare itself different is regarded as "other".
My generation has witnessed the North-South war in the name of religion. In the 1990s many Sudanese youth took part in the Jihad, believing that Allah would reward them with heaven if they died at war. Most families have lost a loved one. We were the children of war propaganda; few of us realized the sins of war after struggling emotionally and mentally to understand the necessity of peace.
I believe that many lives have been destroyed by the war. But being killed in war isn't the worst that can happen. Children have lost their families and have been displaced and exploited as soldiers. They've lost their hopes for a better future. Women were raped and tortured and saw their own children and husbands slaughtered. People were starved to death while escaping war. A whole nation has been deformed by the sins of war.
I dream of a country where civil records officers do not put your tribe as a vital information for a national ID. I dream of a better Sudan where my children and the children of the Nuba Mountains enjoy the right to life, access to education and health care.
For all of the above mentioned reasons I say "never again".

*Name changed for security reasons
www.wechoosepeace.org #ChoosePeace