<
https://theconversation.com/sudans-people-toppled-a-dictator-despite-the-war-theyre-still-working-to-bring-about-democratic-change-205236>
"While Sudan’s generals have unleashed indiscriminate destruction and
occupation on wide swaths of the capital, Khartoum, neighbourhood resistance
committees and pro-democracy activists have stepped up to respond to the needs
of citizens.
They have risked their lives to drive people to safety or to working hospitals.
They have maintained up-to-the-minute information on where medicine can be
found or which roads are safe.
These actions have solidified this decentralised network of youth and civil
society groups as the most trusted and legitimate organisations in Sudan.
Resistance committees are part of a diverse collection of Sudanese
pro-democracy groups. These groups include political parties, university
students and staff, professional associations and unions, and civil society
organisations.
Together, they helped bring down long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in April
2019 after months of protests. Women emerged as particularly visible and vocal
in these protests, stepping forward after years of being arbitrarily targeted
by Bashir’s morality police.
Sudan’s hopes for democratic change were dashed, however, when General Abdel
Fattah al-Burhan led a coup in October 2021 against the transitional
government.
Resistance committees led marches against the military takeover. Their
insistence on non-violence maintains their status as citizens and civilians.
They are not insurgents, combatants or the enemy.
I have spent nearly two decades researching the role of Sudan’s civil society
organisations in managing conflict. I have also studied the rise of resistance
committees and what keeps them going in the face of vicious repression by
Sudanese security forces.
In my view, these groups’ consistency of action and messaging has given them a
form of political power that Sudan’s traditional elites have struggled to
attain. Sudan’s resistance committees provide a model for young people in
Africa to participate in politics, even without the approval of established
structures."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
