A CALL TO ACTION: UNITED FOR SUDAN AGAINST TYRANNY

On the dawn of October 25, 2021, a military coup was attempted, where prime minister Abdallah Hamdok was among those reported to have been put under house arrest[1] along with cabinet members. General Burhan who heads the Sovereign Council declared that the military is intervening to halt the internal tensions between politicians and the military, where he claimed his purpose was to rectify the revolution’s course.

In the past months, we have witnessed a softer attempt to stage a coup that failed and where Khartoum’s streets witnessed a state of ongoing demonstrations demanding the military to stop meddling in the post revolution transitions, and most importantly, to refrain from using the same tactics and strategies used during the Era of the overthrown Omar El Bashir, such as extrajudicial killings, and arrests targeting protestors and political organizers.

Leading opposition body, the Sudanese Professional Association issued several statements today on their verified Facebook page[2] announcing the coup, and calling for a general strike in Sudan, where they called for organizing neighborhood committees that should take over the streets and face the military troops currently trying to take over Sudanese cities in an attempt to impose a curfew. Also, leading feminist organizations and groups have sent out letters to the WHRDMENA Coalition just before our communication with them was interrupted by the internet blockage, asking the coalition to coordinate and advocate on their behalf, so that more international and regional pressure is applied on the military to halt its coup immediately without any conditions.

The WHRDMENA Coalition is deeply concerned about the wellbeing of Sudanese Women Human Rights Defenders who in particular have been receiving numerous attacks by the military and forces of the intelligence that aimed to push them out of the public sphere, in which the diverse Sudanese feminist movement have been actively organizing to ensure the inclusion of equality and protection laws and mechanisms of Sudanese women throughout the transition toward a civic state.

The WHRDMENA Coalition calls on the :

• International Women’s Organizations around the world to prioritize the situation of Sudan, and immediately advocate states to issue statements to freeze any cooperation with Sudan until the military halts its coup.
• Regional women’s movements in the Middle East and North Africa to organize physical, symbolic, and virtual campaigns of solidarity with Sudanese women and WHRDs, where the Arab State League should be asked to convene and reject the coup.
• Feminist organizations and Human Rights organizations in the African Union to campaign their states to freeze the membership of Sudan until the military halts its coup.
• Feminist activists around the world to organize demonstrations and sit-ins to support those protesting in Sudan.
• International Human Rights Organizations to highlight the situation in Sudan right now and where live bullets have been used where it is confirmed that 8 people were killed since the morning by military troops.

Moreover, the WHRDMENA Coalition highlights the need to/for:

•  Pressure the African Union to freeze the membership of Sudan, and until the military halts its coup.
• The United Nations to conduct an emergency security council session to reach actions regarding Sudan and urge the military to end its coup attempt, in addition to issuing statements condemning the concerned coup.. Furthermore, special attention needs to be placed on WHRDs and the gendered nature of violence perpetrated against them.
• The Arab League to conduct an emergency session to call for the end of the coup attempt, freeze Sudan’s membership and issue a statement condemning the concerned coup. Furthermore, special attention needs to be placed on WHRDs and the gendered nature of violence perpetrated against them.

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59033142

[2] https://www.facebook.com/SdnProAssociation