Photo by Ashraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images.
Sudan Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Khartoum Massacre
Today marks a year since over 100 protesters were killed in Khartoum, Sudan, during mass demonstrations which lead to the ousting of former President Omar al-Bashir.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly Khartoum crackdown which saw at least 118 protesters killed during mass demonstrations in Sudan's capital. After former President Omar al-Bashir stepped down and the military subsequently took over, protesters participated in a sit-in where they demanded that the military transfer power to civilians instead. In an alleged attempt to disperse the protesting crowd, the military used deadly force.
<p>A year has passed since London's Brunel University student,<strong> Mohamed Mattar</strong>, was killed as he attempted to protect two women amid the dispersion of protesters by armed security forces. A year since <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/social-media-turns-blue-for-sudan/" target="_blank">social media turned blue in honour of the young man</a> and "all those Sudanese people who have fallen in the uprising," Mattar's friend <strong>Shahd Khidir </strong>explained.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>As many have attempted to make their way to Khartoum to commemorate the massacre, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-47639452?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5ed73c91c4f90006616e06da%26Army%20blocks%20roads%20ahead%20of%20Sudan%20massacre%20anniversary%262020-06-03T07%3A04%3A31.478Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:15a7a688-437d-4545-927a-a98392fac32b&pinned_post_asset_id=5ed73c91c4f90006616e06da&pinned_post_type=share" target="_blank">the army has been deployed</a> and has erected barbed wire fences and concrete slabs to block off roads leading to the capital city, <strong><em>BBC</em></strong> reports. It is not yet clear, however, why there are attempts to prevent people from peacefully gathering at the site.</p><p>Although the country has gone on to <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/sudan-military-protesters-sign-power-transfer-deal/" target="_blank">form a transitional government or Sovereign Council</a> comprising of members of both the military and civilians, <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/sudan-has-appointed-new-prime-minister-abdalla-hamdok/" target="_blank">alongside the appointment of <strong>Abdalla Hamdok</strong> as the transitional Prime Minister</a>, many of those responsible for the loss of life during protests have not been brought to book. </p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/a-year-later-sudanese-raped-in-crackdown-wait-for-justice/2020/06/03/67fcbcdc-a561-11ea-898e-b21b9a83f792_story.html" target="_blank">Women who were raped by security forces on that day</a> have also expressed tremendous dismay at their perpetrators having not been duly charged for their crimes. A trauma center at Khartoum's Ahfad University, which received victims on that day, reportedly documented at least 64 rapes.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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