Sudan Revolution 2018/19 101-PART 4 Bring Back the Internet

SUDAN REVOLUTION 101 - PART 4

Bring Back the Internet

So far, the Uprising has succeeded in its first step, that is, removing Al Basheer, the military thug who ruled Sudan ruthlessly for almost 30 years. But, the Sudanese people know this is not the end goal. Maneuvering the complicated terrain to put in place a civilian government of their choosing is the real test of their determination to gain Freedom, Peace, Justice.

The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Transitional Military Council (TMC) have each met with the US Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, Tibor Nagy, and Special Envoy for Sudan, Donald Booth, who stressed the need for quick transition to civil authority, independent inquiry into the massacre, withdrawal of military presence from civilian areas and restoring security, release of political prisoners, and lifting the ban on the Internet. In its news conference yesterday, TMC admitted that it gave the orders to break up the Sit-In on June 3. This should be a welcome step toward accepting responsibility for the massacre. But, the admission came amid inconsistent statements and contradictory actions, for example, refusing international monitoring of an independent inquiry into the massacre. TMC lurches from one position to another in its attempts to manage the domestic and external pressures that push it in opposite directions. Above all, however, it fails to realize that civilian rule must be effected sooner or later. The end result is that little has changed. Khartoum is still saturated with paramilitary personnel, while the Internet blackout remains.

FFC has issued a statement challenging TMC’s latest obfuscations, and reaffirming its commitment to the people’s demands. The two parties are supposed to resume negotiations tomorrow. If it has any chance to successfully lead the popular momentum to genuine democratic rule, the opposition must show firm grasp of the creative criminality of Basheer’s band of opportunists and mercenary troops. FFC has recognized the deep rootedness of Basheer’s regime by insisting on a four-year transitional period to dismantle its remnants. It must now show great ability to fight the ‘counter-revolution’ his operatives are mounting. They are busy undermining the Uprising with a campaign of intimidation and misinformation to discredit the opposition.

By all accounts, the Sudanese are determined that “there is no going back.” It’s been a little over ten days since the Khartoum massacre. Many are just beginning to feel the trauma, as more bodies surface on the Nile, many are still missing, others are painfully searching for ways to make peace with wholesale sexual assault. But, some are already getting restless. At least one spontaneous evening demonstration broke out in Um Durman yesterday.

The Sudanese cause has been popularized worldwide, with UN condemnation of the massacre, US exerting some pressure, and social media campaigns by international celebrities. Yet, the country is still under siege, people are isolated. Bringing back the Internet is instrumental for exposing the remnants of Basheer’s regime. But, perhaps even more, it is necessary for the people on the ground to once again share their struggle and revolutionary experience with the rest of the world. #Sudan_Uprising.