Sudan to commemorate slain demonstrators in mass marches tomorrow

People in Sudan will commemorate tomorrow the protestors killed during the December uprising that led to the ousting of President Omar Al Bashir in April 2019, and the formation of a civilian government five months later.

In preparation for the June 30 ‘March of Millions’, the Sudanese army deployed soldiers and armoured vehicles on the streets of Khartoum and on the bridges linking the three city parts.

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok is expected to deliver a speech to the Sudanese people on Tuesday.

On June 30 last year, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets. They demanded the then ruling Transitional Military Council be replaced by a civilian government, and an independent investigation into the violent dismantling of the sit-in in front of the army command in Khartoum on June 3.

Ten demonstrators were shot and killed. Many believe security forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to be responsible. RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ blamed “snipers and infiltrators”, but did not substantiate this claim.

The prime minister received memos from relatives of people killed during the uprising and from resistance committees working in Sudanese town districts and villages.

The memos are calling for “the restoration of the causes of the revolution”, a comprehensive peace, an end to the economic crisis, retribution, and trials against officials of the ousted regime – for the sake of “a new, free, and democratic Sudan”.

Yasir El Ata, military member of the Sovereign Council, said in a press statement on Saturday evening that the armed forces will secure the people in the marches and all sites where celebrations take place. “It is appropriate for the Sudanese people to express their joy on the day of the triumph of the glorious revolution,” he said.  

Celebration

In the joint meeting of members of the Sovereign Council, the Council of Ministers, and the Forces of Freedom and Change on Saturday, the June 30 marches were described as “a celebration”.

The resistance committees and relatives of the victims of the December Revolution denounced this description. “The marches will be commemorational, and not celebrational,” they said on social media on Sunday. The aim of the new March of Millions is “the completion of the goals of the revolution and corrections of its path”.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA – the driving force behind the uprising), said in a press statement that the June 30 marches will take place “to complete the goals of the glorious December revolution and correct the path of the transitional period”.

The SPA said that the marches are not celebrational. “Rather, they are planned to remind those who have forgotten that our people’s revolutionary forces are the burning coals under the ashes of hesitation, slowness, and bargaining. They affirm that there is no room for evasion or manipulation of the goals of the December revolution.”

These goals of the revolution were described as “a peace enjoyed by all those who suffered from the wars. The people should have a say over sharing of wealth in the country. The resources of Sudan should be used for development and production. Killers and people who wasted or stole state property must be held accountable,” the SPA stated.

The Central Bank of Sudan directed the banks in Khartoum not to deliver cash to ATMs tomorrow, in accordance with precautionary measures for tomorrow, as instructed by the chief of the Khartoum state police.

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