One year after the coup d’état of October 2021, the Sudanese people are strengthening their mobilisation and the government is responding with repression and cutting off the Internet to prevent communication.
So far, nine people have lost their lives in the mobilisation and the arrest of the activist Fati Yaya has been denounced. Moreover, it has been confirmed that the government has cut off access to the Internet. According to NetBlocks: “The incident comes amid protesters taking to the streets to call for civilian rule in opposition to the military junta that seized power in the October 2021 coup,” it said, before adding that network data shows that the restrictions affect “multiple mobile and fixed-line internet providers, including state-owned operator Sudatel”. According to the same organisation, multiple mechanisms of silencing and repression are being used.
While the UN calls for a peaceful solution, the Sudanese government has “called the attention” of the United Nations envoy, Volker Perthes for his request to the forces of law and order to respect freedom of expression and assembly, as well as to avoid the use of force.
The current Sudanese government was installed after an agreement between the military junta installed after the 2019 coup, opposition parties and civilian organisations. The situation, at the moment, does not seem to offer any way out, although it is known that the first dialogues and rapprochements are already taking place in an attempt to stop the escalation of violence, while self-organised initiatives are challenging the power of the traditional parties.
