On April 11th, protestors gathered in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities to commemorate the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir and condemn the current military government of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. These protests occurred despite harsh crackdowns by Sudanese security forces, which have claimed 94 lives, and while many protestors fast for Ramadan amidst high average temperatures. The protests were led by non-violent and decentralized groups throughout Sudan that are known as resistance committees, who engaged in blocking main roads, burning tires, and chanting revolutionary slogans. 

“Bashir’s downfall did not mean a final victory for the revolution, because Burhan is a continuation of his regime. We will bring down the military peacefully and democracy is Sudan’s future,” said 38-year-old protester Ahmed Ibrahim, who spoke with Reuters at a protest in Khartoum. “We came out despite the heat and despite fasting to regain our civilian government and bring down the coup,” claimed protester Mayada Kheiry. A statement from the U.S. State Department said, “The Sudanese people have yet to realize their goal. Peaceful protests must be allowed to continue without fear of violence.”

The October 2021 coup by Burhan led the African Union to remove Sudan’s membership in the bloc and the World Bank to suspend billions of dollars worth of grants it gave Sudan’s combined civilian and military transitional government. Additional action against Sudan was taken by the U.S., which paused a $700 million financial assistance package and sanctioned Sudan’s Central Reserve Police for its brutality against protestors. These efforts to isolate Burhan’s government should be further pursued until a civilian-led government is fully restored to power. The current military government has tried to legitimize its power by reinstating Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (who later resigned in January 2022) and through a new deal attempting to gain the support of religious, tribal, and political leaders. The international community must view Burhan’s attempts at formalizing military rule as insufficient and should deny any diplomatic recognition of the Sudanese military government. This prevents the military government from dealing with foreign governments as a legitimate actor and gives credence to the protestors to continue advocating for a civilian-controlled and elected government. 

After ruling for 30 years as President of Sudan, Bashir was ousted by a military coup and a transitional military council headed by Burhan was installed. Protests advocating for Bashir’s removal were organized by the Sudanese Professional Association (SPA), a group of doctors, health care workers, and lawyers who protested his government’s authoritarianism, as well as increasing shortages of bread and the rise in prices of basic commodities. Burhan’s military government shared power with the Forces of Freedom and Change civilian coalition until he led a coup that dissolved the country’s civilian cabinet and arrested Prime Minister Hamdok. Burhan claimed the coup was necessary to prevent civil war, while also promising the democratic transition would continue with elections in 2023. Protests against military rule have been ongoing and the protestors have been met with brutal repression by military forces.

The protestors in Sudan deserve the support of the U.S. and the rest of the international community to deny legitimacy to the current military regime and to support their efforts in achieving a democratic revolution. This support should come in the form of refusing to interact diplomatically with representatives of the regime and withholding any funds that could be used by security forces to crack down on protestors. Speaking out in favor of the protestors is also important since it gives recognition and motivation to their movement. The importance of democracy to the protestors was described by 29-year-old hospital worker Akram Elwathig who stated, “Democracy is life. Right now, we are like the dead. So we have to go to the streets so that we can get our lives back.”