https://socialistaction.org/2019/07/01/sudanese-march-against-the-regime-despite-killings-and-repression/
Sudanese march against the regime despite killings and repression
/ 59 mins ago
July 2019 Sudan march phila
Sudan solidarity march in Philadelphia on June 29. (Photo special to
Socialist Action)
By STEVE XAVIER
At least seven protesters were killed in Sudan on June 30, gunned down
by government forces as tens of thousands of Sudanese marched in what
was termed a ???Millions March??? against the regime. Organizers hoped to
build the largest mass mobilization since the violent crackdown on June
3 following a successful general strike.
In the days preceding the mass march, Rapid Support Force (RSF) thugs
rounded up some march organizers. Despite the repression, marches were
held in Khartoum and other cities throughout the country. Military
forces, riot police, and RSF used tear gas and live ammunition in an
attempt to disperse the marches.
Over the weekend of June 30, Sudanese communities in cities across the
United States held solidarity rallies and marches demanding an end to
military rule and an immediate transition to civilian government.
Protesters also demanded an end to the internet shutdown, the withdrawal
of the RSF from cities, an international investigation of the June 3
slaughter, and the release of political prisoners.
As reported previously by Socialist Action, paramilitaries tied to the
regime in Sudan responded to the May 28-29 general strike with brutal
violence against pro-democracy protesters. The initial attacks by the
Rapid Support Force, a paramilitary organization linked to genocide in
Darfur and loyal to the regime, resulted in more than 100 deaths and
hundreds of injuries.
The RSF has its roots in the brutal Jangaweed, a militia that is
notorious for its criminal genocide in Darfur. Human rights
organizations report mass rapes of protesters and medical personnel by
militia members and government troops. In some cases, soldiers and army
officers moved to protect protesters from the rampaging paramilitaries.
Activists claim that the death toll has now risen to more than 120.
After the massacre, RSF members allegedly threw bodies of their victims
into the Nile in an attempt to cover up their crimes. More than 40
bodies were recovered from the river subsequent to the attacks. Official
government sources claim that the death toll is much smaller.
The general strike of May 28-29 displayed the potential power of the
Sudanese working class, with from 80% to 100% participation in defiance
of intimidation, coercion, and violence from the employers and
government. Transportation was shut down. Also, the Red Sea port closed
down as dockers joined the work stoppage. Professionals, government
ministry, factory, telecommunications, and medical workers observed the
strike. Domestic air flights were cancelled.
The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) had called the general
strike after talks between the military and opposition forces broke down
over the composition of a transitional government.
Two presidents fall
On April 11, the dictator, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, was removed from
office by the military after 30 years in power. This followed months of
unrest that was initially sparked by a drastic rise in bread prices and
then quickly took up demands for the fall of al-Bashir. High
unemployment, inflation, and shortages of basic goods, like fuel and
food, are pushing the struggle forward.
The military replaced al-Bashir with General Awad Ibn Auf, who lasted
less than 48 hours as mass protests intensified. This was an attempt by
the military to preserve the existing state machinery by changing the
outside face of the regime. The Sudanese masses didn???t fall for the
maneuver.
In the wake of the repression, the SPA and the Alliance for Freedom and
Change (AFC) called for a renewed round of strikes and civil
disobedience on June 9, stating that ???the peaceful resistance by civil
disobedience and the general political strike is the fastest and most
effective way to topple the military council.???
Striking airline pilots were abducted from their homes by the RSF and
forced to fly military personnel. The RSF and security forces have
detained hundreds of striking workers and activists. Internet access was
shut down at the beginning of the crackdown on June 3, making
communication with the outside world difficult.
The June 9 strike was attacked by RSF goons with tear gas and rifle
fire. Government services, banks and transport in Khartoum were shut
down. In Port Sudan, the docks, banks, and telecommunications were shut
down as more than 90% walked out. Similarly, in other areas workers,
government employees, and professionals struck. The Egyptian regime,
which has been propping up the TMC, offered to provide aid to the regime
in the form of strikebreakers to operate shuttered services.
After the June 9 strike, dozens of military and police officers were
arrested by the regime for their refusal to participate in the
repression. The government claimed that these officers had been plotting
a coup to restore al-Bashir to power, but this is disputed by sources
close to the opposition.
On June 26, TMC representatives met with the ???Sudan Troika??? made up of
the United States, Britain, and Norway. The Troika criticized the
repression, and the envoy from Norway advocated support of the efforts
of the African Union to mediate the conflict. Despite the rhetoric of
the imperialists about democracy and human rights, the truth is that the
imperialist countries are more than willing to sacrifice both in the
interests of stability and profits. There is hypocrisy in the
???democratic??? imperialists talking about peace and democracy, while the
European Union funds the RSF militias.
What???s next?
Bourgeois figures and their political parties are not reliable allies in
the fight against dictatorship. In the course of this struggle, we can
expect that some of the opposition forces will try to make a deal that
is acceptable to the regime???s backers in the imperialist countries,
Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
The independent organization of the working class and its allies, and
the construction of a revolutionary workers party, is an urgent task.
Ultimately, the working class is central to the resolution of the
current revolutionary situation.
The opposition should be built around democratically run popular
committees that answer to the workers and poor farmers of Sudan.
Revolutionaries in Sudan must also understand the limits of nonviolence
and take steps to build mass-based committees for self-defense.
Negotiations with a regime of murderers is a dead end.
Advancing the revolution also requires targeted propaganda aimed at the
ranks of the army, with the goal of?? bringing as many soldiers as
possible over to the side of the revolution.
Revolutions cannot be made halfway or hesitantly. The movement in Sudan
has to realize that the only resolution of the current crisis that can
achieve justice for the oppressed masses is through revolution and
workers??? power.
???
???
???
???
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July 1, 2019 in Africa. Tags: Sudan
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