Sudan revolution anniv.: Celebrating Bashir's fall, demanding justice

A year ago, protests started in Sudan against economic conditions, it will later metamorphose into a call for the ouster of one of Africa’s longest serving presidents, Oma al-Bashir.

A year on, the protesters were back on the streets across Sudan commemorating the first anniversary of the trigger that led to Bashir’s downfall.

Thursday’s demonstrations also serve as a remembrance for the scores of protesters killed by security forces in the long standoff during and after Bashir’s ouster in April.

It is estimated that over 130 people were killed on June 3, when authorities led by the Rapid Support Forces – a militia group – violently broke up a two-month-old protest sit-in outside the military headquarters.

Protest leaders and the military that took over power after Bashir then went into months of talks for a transition. It took the intervention of among others the African Union and the Ethiopian Prime Minister to broker a deal between the parties.

A transitional government is currently led by career economist Abdalla Hamdok who took office since September, grappling with Sudan’s seemingly countless problems under the watchful eye of the leaders of the protest movement, who have informally assumed the role of “guardians of the revolution.”

Chants calling for justice & retribution for peaceful protesters killed during the last 12 months of pro-democracy demonstrations.

— Yousra Elbagir (@YousraElbagir) December 19, 2019