Sudan revolution victims’ families call for retribution

A Charter of Honour demanding retribution for the killing of people during the overthrow of Sudan’s former regime was signed yesterday between the Organisation of the December Revolution Martyrs' Families and the Revolutionary Blocs for Unity.

The charter stipulates “fair treatment of victims of the revolution,” including supporting them financially, morally, and psychologically, providing stable support for those with permanent injuries, and creating provisions for them to work.

The charter was signed days after the committee set up by Sudan’s Attorney General to investigate the cases of people missing since the start of the 2018 December Revolution found a mass grave which may contain the bodies of some of the people who are still considered as ‘missing’ after what is known as the Ramadan 29 massacre.

The relatives of protestors killed or who went missing on June 3 last year consider the discovery of a mass grave on Wednesday to be a revelation, according to a statement yesterday.

“The news issued by the prosecution puts an end to a series of delays, reliance on bargaining behind closed doors, and waiting for the people to forget the demands to convict criminals and demand punishment from the killers,” the statement reads.

The relatives demand that all the forces of the revolution forget their differences and stand in the face of “the death machine that killed innocent people”.

The father of Abdelsalam Kasha, a protestor killed during the uprising, denounced “immunity enjoyed by the government forces,” explaining that “it hinders retribution and is devoted to impunity.”

The Charter of Honour also calls for the trial of the leaders of the former regime and perpetrators of genocide and massacres, and the formation of the Legislative Council by “real stakeholders” who brought about the revolution last year.

Last week, Resistance Committees in Khartoum withdrew from a meeting with the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) regarding the formation of the Legislative Council, citing disagreements with the agenda.

Ramadan 29 massacre

When the Sudanese took to the streets in December last year, in protest against the policies of the ruling National Congress Party under the leadership of President Omar Al Bashir, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) organised a protest march in Khartoum on 25 December, the first of many.

The violent dismantling of the sit-in in front of the army command in Khartoum on June 3, also known as the Ramadan 29 massacre, caused the death of 127 people. About 700 protesters and others present at the sit-in that day were injured.

On August 7, the Sudanese Professionals Association Initiative for Missing People reported it documented more than 100 cases of people who went missing from the Khartoum sit-in on June 3.

According to medics, 83 per cent of the victims of the revolution were killed after the ousting of Al Bashir on April 11.

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