Sudan 2018/19 Revolution 101 - PART 8 TMC Must Go

Sudan revolution 101 – PART 8

TMC MUST GO

June 29/30 marks thirty years of military rule in Sudan; thirty years of oppression, murder, exile, impoverishment, corruption, war, and loss of national sovereignty. On this dismal anniversary, Sudanese people and their friends all over the world are coming out for massive marches in more than forty cities across the US, Europe, Africa, Australia, and beyond. The people’s demands are very clear: that the Transitional Military Council (TMC) hand over power to a civilian government, release all political prisoners, launch an independent, internationally monitored inquiry into the massacre of June third, and lift restrictions on all means of expression and communication, including the Internet. The African Union, US, and EU all support these demands.

TMC has yet to give one concession or show an ounce of good will toward the opposition as represented by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC). Instead, TMC has rejected all mediation efforts, including the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s proposal supported by both the AU and the US. TMC has even reneged on the agreement that it had reached with FFC regarding the relative representation of civilians and the military in a transitional government. Meanwhile, the RSF/Janjaweed militias run rampant over Sudanese people, killing, raping, robbing, and flogging them on the streets. Just today, Reuters reported that “security forces fired tear gas to disperse dozens of students demonstrating against military rule in Khartoum” (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-security-forces-tear-gas-181043731.html).

Currently, indirect talks about the shape of the transitional government are proceeding at a slow pace between FFC and TMC primarily because of the latter’s lack of cooperation, hoping to gain time and entrench itself in power. The people should not wait for a transitional government to address all issues; they should press TMC to resign now. None of its members, especially, the RSF leader, should participate in the transitional government because they woefully lack credibility and competence to handle the difficult tasks that lie ahead in a new Sudan. At worst, TMC is a murderous band fully responsible for the Sit-In massacre and other atrocities that have taken place since then. At best, it is incapable or unwilling to protect the people. TMC is morally and practically unqualified to be part of the transitional government.

The marches planned for June 30 are to mourn and demand justice for the victims of the June 3 massacre, and to take back Sudan from the military junta. The world is watching. TMC better not harm the peaceful crowds; it better not commit acts of violence and or destruction of property and then blame it on the protestors or on “unknown criminal elements” as it did just before the massacre.

Find your city for June 30.