Campaigns by Sudan’s teachers and journalists form ‘a gathering to stop the war’

A campaign to stop the war in Sudan, launched by the Sudanese Teachers Committee 10 days ago, that has received wide support among professional, political, and civil society groups, is about to enter its second phase, the spokesman for the committee has told Radio Dabanga. The Darfur Journalists Association has reiterated its support and solidarity with the campaign, “which threw a stone into the still pond of war”.

The parallel campaigns by the Sudanese Teachers Committee and the Darfur and Sudanese Journalists Syndicates have raised questions about the multiplicity of initiatives, however, respondents from both organisations have assured that the campaigns are proceeding within a single framework and can be coordinated between them.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Sami El Bagir, member of the Executive Office and official spokesperson for the Sudanese Teachers Committee, confirmed that the campaign under the slogan ‘Teachers are builders of civilisation and advocates of peace’, highlighting the voice of those who reject the war, which was launched 10 days ago, will now move into its second phase. He expressed confidence that “this campaign will become the nucleus for gathering those who reject the war” into one bloc, to carry out joint action, that would lead to stopping the war so that the Sudanese could regain their normal lives and the situation would allow the entry of necessary humanitarian aid.

El Bagir underscores that the primary goal is is to highlight the voice of those who reject the war. “We can say that this goal has been achieved to a large extent and everyone bears witness to the great support that the campaign received from all sectors of the Sudanese people,” he says. “This wide embrace of the campaign confirms that the Sudanese people are eager for peace and reject war. That those who call for the continuation of the war are a small minority who have a specific goal by linking this war to a specific political programme that they seek to achieve through this war.”

All campaigns have one goal

Regarding the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate’s initiative to stop the war, El Bagir stresses that “all these campaigns are proceeding within a single framework and can be coordinated between them”. He assures that there are high-level communications and coordination between the Teachers’ Committee and the Journalists’ Syndicate regarding stopping the war: “There is unity in goal and the right moment will come when all these campaigns become one campaign,” he says.

Mutual support

Like all those who reject the war, journalists were among the first bodies to announce their support for the teachers’ campaign, just as the Teachers’ Committee was among the first bodies to support the journalists’ campaign to stop the war, considering that our goal is one, which is to stop the war and return normal life to the Sudanese people.

The Darfur Journalists Association has reiterated its support for the Teachers Committee’s campaign to stop the war. The association said in a statement yesterday that it is “monitoring the great efforts made by professional bodies and unions to stop the war, which was announced from the platform of the Sudanese Teachers Committee, which threw a stone into the still pond of war.”

The association affirms its support for all efforts aimed at stopping the war, announcing its involvement with professional bodies “in this noble campaign based on its national responsibilities and its supportive position to stop the war in Sudan”.