Many of you may have heard or seen glimpses of pictures of what is taking place in Sudan as of right now. The horrific stories you have read about or the urgent tone in people’s posts when writing about what is happening in Sudan can be overwhelming to take in all at once. However, what is happening in Sudan must be brought to light as it has been reported that there is an internet blackout, causing people to be unaware of the events that are unfolding in the country. Here is a brief overview of what you need to know about the crisis and how you can help.

What is Happening?
On June 3rd, paramilitary forces attacked unarmed civilians that were peacefully protesting at a sit-in. More than forty bodies were found in the Nile River, several women were reportedly raped, more than one hundred people were killed, and several hundred people were injured in the attacks. However, despite these alarming numbers being revealed, the Sudanese Military Health info denied these claims, stating that the death toll was only at 46. The Transitional Military Council has now put forth an internet blockage, preventing people from accessing their data and internet to spread information about the events that have unfolded.

What Caused These Events?
Earlier in April, the previous president, Omar al-Bashir, who had held power in Sudan as a dictator since 1989, was deposed after several months of protests from the nation’s people. Following his deposition, the Transitional Military Council took over and began running the transitional government, despite negotiating with the civilians to create a 3-year plan to transition to democracy. In response to the dismissal of these negotiations, the civilians lead a strike in which they conducted a sit-in where they peacefully protested and the Sudanese Professionals Association called for a nationwide “total civil disobedience.” Unfortunately, the Rapid Support Forces, formerly known as Janjaweed, opened fire and attacked the civilians, killing over 100 and injuring several hundred more. After the attacks, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Transitional Military Council, stated that national elections would be held in 9 months.

How to Help?
Although many leaders from the United Nations have condemned the acts of violence that have occurred in Sudan recently, several of the Arab nations, such as Egypt, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have supported Sudan’s Transitional Military Council. As individuals in the Atlanta Muslim community, it can be difficult to constantly hear about such horrific events going on in different parts of the world. However, there are several ways we can help, as listed below:

Raise Awareness - many celebrities including, Shahd Khidir, a Sudanese influencer, Rihanna, and George Clooney have brought attention to the massacre occurring in Sudan and by following suit and raising awareness via social media, more people will be aware of the situation and more action can be taken against what is happening in Sudan.

Save the Children
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/where-we-work/africa/sudan

GoFundMe =
https://www.gofundme.com/emergency-medical-aid-for-sudan

Change.org petition for the UN to investigate the human rights violations in Sudan by the Military
https://www.gofundme.com/emergency-medical-aid-for-sudan

UNICEF
https://www.unicefusa.org/mission/emergencies/conflict/south-sudan

Whitehouse.gov petition for the White House to recognize RSF as a terrorist organization
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/recognize-rapid-support-forces-led-general-hemedti-janjaweed-leader-sudan-terrorist-organization

Fundraiser for food and medicine for Sudan
https://www.facebook.com/donate/977085802497357/

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