Sudan’s Anti-coup Protesters Overcome Bullets & Beatings
Sudan’s ruling junta has killed over 100 pro-democracy protesters and injured many thousands more amid widespread opposition to an October 2021 coup that upended a democratic transition and deepened a nationwide humanitarian crisis.
Yet protesters – even those critically wounded by gunfire and gas canisters – have continued to stage rolling demonstrations around the country, calling for an end to military rule and for a full civilian government.
“We want to establish a state with institutions that respect the people and their rights, so that the generations after us will find themselves in a decent country that they won’t want to emigrate from,” said Mohammed al-Neel Ibrahim, a 29-year-old protester.
Ibrahim had his jaw shattered by a bullet during a spontaneous protest on the day of the coup. But his desire to see the army leave power remains unshakeable, and he’s even kept the bullet that struck him in case the perpetrators ever face trial.
Ibrahim is one of six injured protesters that The New Humanitarian interviewed in recent months. We wanted to document junta abuses, but also show the strength of activists seeking to transform a political system that has generated decades of conflict.
This isn’t the first time that Sudanese people have taken to the streets in recent years. In 2018 and 2019, mass demonstrations over rising food and fuel prices culminated in the overthrow of autocratic former president Omar al-Bashir.
A civilian-military power-sharing administration was formed in August 2019 and tasked with guiding Sudan to elections. But army generals dominated the fraught set-up before ousting their civilian counterparts late last year.
The takeover has worsened an economic crisis and comes as conflicts flare across Sudan’s peripheries – from the western Darfur region to the southern state of Blue Nile. Eighteen million people are at risk of acute hunger across the country, according to the UN.
Seeking to resolve the deadlock, Western governments have been pushing for a new civilian-military power-sharing deal. But protesters – coordinating through grassroots resistance committees – say they want a revolution, not a return to the status quo.
The strength of their resolve is captured by the individuals profiled here. Despite ruthless crackdowns and the risk of arrest, they have continued to attend rallies, sometimes with newly bandaged wounds and prosthetic limbs.
Protesters have received considerable help from local NGOs. For example, one organization, called Hadhreen, has borne treatment costs for thousands who have been injured, and has provided financial support to the families of the deceased.
Hadhreen’s work means its staff and volunteers are often harassed and subjected to arbitrary arrests by the authorities. As of early August, the NGO also announced it had run out of funds to cover medical expenses for new patients.
Still, nothing will stop the street movement from taking on the generals, said a protester who lost their right hand and lower arm to a stun grenade in 2020 in Omdurman, a city close to Khartoum.
“No matter what, and by all means necessary, we will achieve all of the political and economic reforms we have been seeking in this country,” said the protester, who asked not to be named for security reasons.
The following interviews have been edited for length and clarity. At the request of interviewees, some names have been withheld and photos have been taken in non-identifying ways.