Kasper Agger
Grassroots Reconciliation Project

A wave of protests has swept across the streets of Khartoum and other major cities in Sudan; adding to the long list of problems that are fundamentally challenging Omar al-Bashir and his 23-year old repressive regime.

The courageous female Students from University of Khartoum started the protests on June 16 in a response to a hike in the cost of meals and transportation. Then on June 22 the protests grew stronger and were, - for the first time - taken to the streets of Khartoum following the Friday prayer. Protests have continued to intensify and grown to other major cities like Shendi, El Obeid and Port Sudan.

Protests were sparked off as a response to tough austerity measures imposed by the regime in a move to acquire much needed cash and bring down public spending. The Khartoum government has experienced a dramatic drop in state revenue from oil, since production was shut down during April by the Juba government in South Sudan; largely due to disagreements over transit fees and intensified skirmishes along the oil rich borderline between the two countries. Sudan has lost control of the majority of the oil production sites, since the July 2011 breakaway of now independent South Sudan.

Sudanese security forces has cracked down on the protestors, with hundreds of arrests, severe beatings and rubber bullets fired at protesters; youth activists have been detained, some reporting of torture and threats against their families.

This is a crucial time for the international community to show decisive support for the protestors and the opposition in Sudan, who managed to unite around a charter on ‘Democratic Alternative’ to the regime. The signing of the charter is a significant development, since it marks the first united challenge from the opposition towards the Sudanese government. An event that is in dire need of international support and encouragement to stand any credible chance of toppling Bashir and his followers within the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The international community and the US government have been alarmingly silent about the protests. The US did expressed being ‘deeply concerned by the crackdown ... on peaceful demonstrators’ and called on the Sudanese government to ‘respect the right of its citizens to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.’ Stronger measures are needed. Both verbal and direct economic support to the opposition would be very helpful, including personal involvement of the highest level within the Obama administration.

I would urge anyone who fights for the rule of law and the respect for international human rights to get behind the peaceful revolt in Sudan. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for orchestrating genocide in Darfur and his repressive regime have violated the rule of law and suppressed civilians for too long.

The good thing is that even though you are far away from Sudan you can still get involved online through debates, twitter campaign and most importantly, educate yourself about events on the ground so you can convince your local policymaker to get involved. Only a united and international movement will success in bringing lasting and peaceful change to the people of Sudan; so that they will also be able to harvest the fruits of human rights, economic development and the rule of law.

Stay informed through local media on the ground in Sudan:

http://www.girifna.com/ http://www.sudantribune.com

Follow #Sudanrevolts on twitter and join the debate!

Kasper Agger Grassroots Reconciliation Project

Kasper Agger holds a Master’s degree in Geography and International Development Studies from Roskilde University, Denmark; with specialization in conflict mitigation, peace building and field research. Kasper has extensive skills in on-hands research and project implementation from Denmark, the Caribbean and East Africa.  He lived and worked for two years in conflict affected northern Uganda, while working on the peace negotiations between the Lords Resistance Army and the Ugandan Government. He also worked with the UN Environmental Program, facilitating environmental projects across Africa and the Caribbean. Since 2012 Kasper joined the Enough Project, as Field Researcher on LRA; based in Kampala, but with extensive travel to LRA hot-spots across Africa.

Kasper is also co-founder and board member of Grassroots Reconciliation Group, an NGO based in northern Uganda that supports innovative reintegration-projects for victims of the LRA crisis. Kasper is a frequent writer and video editor on conflicts in Central Africa.

 

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