June 30th was never a good day in the history of Sudan, until this year.
June 30th was the day Omar El Bashir's ruling party hijacked Sudan. His rule took the country down a path of oppression, war, genocide, and poverty. This year, he was ousted by a popular uprising that shook his stronghold on the country.
After the ousting of Bashir, the Sudanese people maintained a sit-in protest at the army headquarters. The protesters demanded that the now ruling military council, hand over the government to a transitional civilian government.
The sit-in was ended brutally on June 3rd when armed government militias attacked the peaceful sit-in. The militias shot and killed peaceful protesters, burnt down tents, raped women and men. Amidst all this, the transitional military council halted negotiations for transitioning to a civilian government.
The protests planned on June 30th were a big event. The Sudanese people had yet to recover from the brutal massacre and rise to the challenge. That was not the only challenge. There was a media blackout and all internet providers in the country were shut down by the military in an attempt to stop the message from reaching people. Despite this, the protests were massive and there was a huge turnout- estimated to be in the millions.
These protests forced the military to return to negotiations and give in to the will of the people to transition to a civilian government.
At the same time, across the world, the Sudanese Diaspora came out in a show of unity. There were large protests in many countries around the world.
The Sudanese communities abroad helped raise awareness about what is happening in Sudan. They worked with their local governments and effectively lobbied against the military. By raising awareness about the atrocities going on in Sudan, the Sudanese diaspora urged governments around the world to take a stance against the killings. The international community also responded and echoed the Sudanese people's calls for a civilian government.
This post includes some aspects of the protests that took place across various countries in the world.
