Sudanese activists vow not to back down until military rule ends

With internet and telecommunication services down, activists tell 'The National' they are looking abroad for support

Sudanese protesters hold a rally in Khartoum against overnight detentions by the army of government members. Soldiers arrested Sudan's prime minister for his refusal to support their 'coup', the Information Ministry said. All photos: AFP

Sudanese demonstrators wave the national flag on the streets of the capital, Khartoum.

Sudanese protesters hold a rally in Khartoum against overnight detentions by the army of government members. The detentions follows weeks of tensions between military and civilian figures who have shared power since the fall of former president Omar Al Bashir.

Protesters burnt tyres to block a road in Khartoum.

Soldiers detained Sudan's prime minister over a refusal to support their 'coup', the Information Ministry said.

Sudanese protesters jump over a roadblock made of bricks and burning tyres as they rally on 60th Street in the capital, Khartoum.

There have been weeks of tensions between the military and civilian figures who shared power since the fall of former president Omar Al Bashir.

Sudanese protesters use bricks and burning tyres to block 60th Street in Khartoum.

Protesters are angry about the overnight detentions by the army of members of Sudan's government.

Soldiers detained Sudan's prime minister over his refusal to support their 'coup', the Information Ministry said, after weeks of tensions between military and civilian figures.

Nada AlTaher

The Sudanese activists who fought to end the 29-year rule of Omar Al Bashir in 2019 are fighting for democracy again less than two years later.

Monday’s coup, in which the military removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and civil officials, has once more sparked mass protests in Khartoum and beyond.

Security forces were stationed in the capital on Tuesday as protesters wrapped in national flags blockaded streets and burnt tyres, chanting for the downfall of the military government. Shops were shut in Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman across the Nile as calls for a general strike were broadcast over mosque loudspeakers.

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“We will not back down and we will not stop. I, as a mother, will not stop. This is our only way towards freedom and democracy and no matter what they do, it’s forward and forward only,” civil activist Mai Abdulmunim, 49, told The National.

She and thousands of others are reviving old methods of organising opposition rallies despite internet and communication blackouts, which services tracker NetBlocks said lasted for about 35 hours.

”People are knocking on each others’ doors and informing them of the time and place that the groups are meeting,” Ms Abdulmunim said.

Sudan's Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan announced in a televised address that he was dissolving the country's ruling Sovereign Council and the government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Gen Al Burhan said the military would run the country until elections in 2023. Photo: Sudan TV / AP

People gather on the streets of Khartoum as smoke rises after reports of a coup on Monday. Photo: Rasd Sudan Network / Reuters

People gather on the streets of Khartoum as smoke rises after reports of a coup on October 25, 2021. Rasd Sudan Network via Reuters

The scene on Khartoum's streets. Photo: Rasd Sudan Network / Reuters

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been arrested by the military and taken to an undisclosed location, the Information Ministry reported. AFP

Political parties and pro-civilian rule groups have accused army general and head of the sovereign council Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan of ordering the military takeover. AFP

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Himediti, is the deputy head of Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries, making him one of the country’s most powerful generals. AFP

The military’s move comes after protests in favour of the military and against Mr Hamdok as well as those backing civilian rule. AFP

A protester blocks a street with his car during a demonstration to demand the dissolution of Sudan's transitional government. AFP

There have been numerous protests in recent days, including outside the presidential palace in Sudan's capital, Khartoum. AFP

Protesters camping outside the presidential palace demand the dismissal of the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. AP

Protesters chant 'one army, one people' and 'the army will bring us bread' slogans during their demonstration outside the presidential palace in Khartoum. AP

Pro-military protesters hold a rally demanding the dissolution of Sudan’s government, outside the presidential palace. AP

Mr Hamdok has issued a warning that the transition is facing its 'worst and most dangerous' crisis. AFP

A person does a handstand in front of a burning pile of tyres during a pro-civilian rule protest against any military takeover in Khartoum on October 21. Reuters

Thousands rallied to back Mr Hamdok’s government after protests by pro-military supporters. EPA

Thousands of people marched during a demonstration called by the Alliance of Forces for Freedom and Change, the Central Council Group to support the government of Abdullah Hamdok, while the army and police forces closed the roads leading to government headquarters and main markets. EPA

People attend demonstrations in support of the civilian government on October 21. EPA

Sudanese demonstrators take part in a protest in the city of Khartoum Bahri, the northern twin city of the capital, to demand the government's transition to civilian rule. AFP

”Every neighbourhood has resistance committees organising this so when we do arrive at the assembly points, we see throngs of people from surrounding neighbourhoods joining us. It's quite a poetic sight.”

Internal phone calls could not be made in Sudan for most of Monday and Tuesday, several activists told The National.

“I cannot call anyone right now. I can only receive phone calls from abroad," said Mujtaba Musa, 30.

"We are relying, as we did in 2019, on the support of the Sudanese diaspora."

Mr Musa, a rights activist with more than 100,000 followers on Twitter, was one of the leading voices of the 2019 revolution and often relayed requests of assistance from people on the ground when certain protest sites were lacking water, blood donations or medicine.

“This is now the responsibility of Sudanese people living abroad. We await their phone calls for instructions about gatherings and we then inform each other,” he said.

“The Sudanese people are a very tight-knit society. We are very good in communicating with each other and will do whatever is needed to organise and gather.”

When asked, several people declined to tell The National whether they would be going back on to the streets, fearing for their safety in case the calls and messages exchanged were being monitored. But widespread protests, amid growing online support for the opposition, are expected to continue.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Sudan’s ruling military leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan said he was holding Mr Hamdok at his home to "ensure his safety".

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Mr Musa, Ms Abdulmunim and others told The National they continue to support Mr Hamdok.

“He is by far the most popular leader in Sudan’s recent history,” Mr Musa said. The prime minister's lack of political experience, extensive economic background and ties with the West made him popular among the activist community, he said.

“Hamdok is our legitimate leader,” Ms Abdulmunim said.

After the announcement of a state of emergency and the dissolution of the power-sharing body, which has been ruling Sudan since Al Bashir's removal, it is unclear what the future holds.

"We just want to ensure that the resilience of the Sudanese people will not go undocumented amid the internet blackouts," Dahlia Roubi, a former official at the prime minister's office, told The National.

Gen Al Burhan said internet and phone services would be restored gradually but activists fear it will not be fast enough.

“One of Sudan’s darkest chapters in history was committed while the internet was down. Peaceful protesters were brutally killed, injured, raped and humiliated,” said Marwa Fatafta, Mena policy manager at internet freedom organisation Access Now.

“In the wake of a military coup and as the Sudanese people take to the streets in protest, we must not allow history to repeat itself. The internet must remain on as the world turns its eyes on Sudan.”

Updated: October 27, 2021, 3:00 AM