THE (ir)REGULAR RANT
The minimum read for the maximum knowledge.
Two emails in two weeks. Must be some sort of record. I am here for all the news updates. Let me know if you have any suggestions of what I should cover/if you don't quite understand something you want to know more about. We all have lots to learn.
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1. Sudanese Protests & Violence
I’ve heard people talking about Sudan. What’s going on?
Well – a lot. The current conflict in Sudan can be traced back to December when peaceful protests broke out in response to an increase in the cost of living, notably the rising cost of food and shortage of fuel. The protestors, led by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA – a collection of 17 different trade unions, including doctors, lawyers and teachers), demanded that the government dissolve, and President Omar al-Bashir, step down.
That name sounds familiar…?
Yes! Because he was at the centre of the ethnic cleansing in Dafur. al-Bashir became president in 1989 after a military coup and was subsequently ‘re-elected’ three times in questionable circumstances (read: undemocratic elections).
The war in Dafur, on the west of Sudan, saw approximately 300,000-500,000 people killed (most by starvation) during 2003 – 2004 and over 3.2 million people forced to flee – that is half the population of Sudan! The war commenced when local rebel groups (the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement) began fighting the government on account of apartheid that was happening in the area in favour of Arab-Sudanese. The Sudanese military and the Janjaweed (a Sudanese militia group comprised mainly of Arab-Sudanese) fought back by committing ethnic cleansing and genocide of all non-Arab Africans in the area – including the systematic rape of women, girls and even babies. The conflict continues today.
Because of his direct involvement, the International Criminal Court (which, unfortunately, doesn’t really have much power or clout anymore) charged al-Bashir with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Sudanese government ignored the warrant.
Okay – so he’s a dick. But why is that relevant?
Well! He was finally ousted on the 11th April after five months of protests.
Photo of the woman in white taken by Sudanese photographer Lana Haroun
This photo of a protesting woman went viral during the initial protests against al-Bashir, due to the woman's robe, a thobe, which was traditionally worn by women during the 60s - 80s as they protests the previous government, and her moon earrings. Women are playing a large role in the current protests, and refuse to be silenced, even amid threats of rape.
Yaaaahhhhsss! So is that it? End of story?
Unfortunately, no. The government has dissolved and a Transitional Military Council has taken over. This military is full of many of the generals that served al-Bashir for close to 30 years. They declared that there would be elections held in nine months after initially agreeing to hand power back to the people. The SPA were unhappy with that outcome, as the military was hardly faultless themselves, and nine months would not be long enough to prepare for complete democratic elections.
Since then, the peaceful protests have increased, but the military have not responded well.
Uhoh – what happened?
On June 3rd, less than a month after al-Bashir was removed, a paramilitary group opened fire on a peaceful protest in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. At least 50 people were killed, with over 40 bodies found dumped in the Nile. Since then, violence has become common place, with deaths and systematic rape reported every day. The death toll is over 220 and at least 1000 have been injured.
The SPA has since called for ‘civil disobedience’, requesting that protestors avoid going to work and continue protesting to shut the country down. In response, the transitional government has shut down at least eight hospitals in the city and continues to fire live ammunition at protestors. They have also arrested the leaders of an opposition political party, as well as other leaders from the protests.
The Janjaweed has joined soldiers and paramilitary in Khartoum, reportedly violently attacking anyone on the streets.
That is all so full on, but why the blue all over social media?
Blue was the favourite colour of 26-year-old Sudanese man Mohamed Mattar, who was shot and killed during the June 3 protests. His family and friends changed their social media to the blue, and it has since gone global, now representing all of Sudan and highlighting the lack of global news about the country.
Blue for Sudan: Please your life did not end here. You will be a part of a new history, of a new era.
So, what happens now?
Well, in Sudan, protests continue. The SPA have stated that they will persist until the military agrees to a proper democratic election (and all the preparation that comes with it) in three years. The military has shut down the internet since mid-April when they took over leadership, making it difficult to really know what is happening in the country – for those there and those overseas.
Most western and African countries have backed the protestors, with the US National Security Advisor, John Bolton, condemning the violence. However several middle eastern countries have been quiet on the topic, including UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. al-Bashir visited Saudi Arabia not long before he was toppled, and committed to a continuation of sending Sudanese troops to fight the war in Yemen.
Until the US requires their middle eastern allies to call for democratic elections (which they won't do, because Trump has interests in Saudi Arabia, among other reasons), their influence is negligible. The UN tried to impose sanctions, but China and Russia vetoed them.
Unfortunately, it seems that it may become worse in Sudan before it becomes better.
2. Interesting Things
Read:
The winners of the annual National Geographic photo competition have been announced!
I have long since thought that you (I!) cry more on planes. Here is the proof. (Just quietly, I love having an epic movie/life sob on a long-haul flight. So cathartic!)
Do you get sad when dogs die in movies? Well, now you can know about it beforehand from the website Does the Dog Die?
Watch:
The world's fattest parrot, the Kakapo, is endangered. It is a kiwi resident, bloody cute, and this video has a hilarious part where one of them mates with a journalist's head. Worth your time.
Listen:
The latest episode of Reply All actually made me LOL numerous times - and that's quite hard to do. It's about the things on the internet about us that we wish we could delete.
As of June 17th 2019, 21 women in Australia have been killed due to domestic violence.
That is one death every 8 days.