The situation in post-Bashir deteriorates as a military government authority struggles to maintain order amongst increasing civilian unrest, ongoing bloodshed, and mounting pressure from the international community. 

 The African Union has suspended Sudan’s membership after more than 30 protestors we killed early this week by military security. 

The announcement is the result of an emergency meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regards to Sudan’s crackdown. The suspension took place with immediate effect and bars the North African country from taking part in all the AU’s activities and will last until the effective establishment of a civilian-led transitional authority. 

Moussa Faki, AU Commission Chairperson called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the violence by the TNC on Monday. 

According to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) claim that at least 100 people have been killed by the TNC and more than 500 wounded. In a Facebook post, the CCSD stated that 40 bodies had been pulled from the Nile River on the 6th of June.

The Rapid Support Forces, a notorious paramilitary unit is formally known as the Janjaweed militia, is said to be one of the forces behind the bloodshed.

On Monday 3rd of April Sudan’s Transnational Military Council called for snap elections following a deadly use of force by the military leading to the deaths of at least 35 people on Monday. To clear the main protest site outside the headquarters of the military in Khartoum, a vital point in an enduring struggle for civilian rule, security forces launched an assault firing live ammunition and killing at least 35 people with hundreds left wounded. 

Sudan’s Transnational Military Council, currently Sudan’s governing authority, received widespread condemnation from the international community, spurring the move towards elections. 

This is the second shooting outside the military headquarters the first, on the 13th of May, left 6 people dead. 

Head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced on television that the council has cancelled all agreements it has with the alliance body the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces and that Sudan was to hold elections within nine months. Adding that the TMC would set up an internationally supervised interim government in preparation for the elections.  This despite the TMC and DFCF having agreed on a three-year transition period to a civilian administration after the violence outside the defense ministry in May.

Before the brutal attack on protestors by the military negotiations between the TMC and DFCF stalled after the TMC wanted protesters to remove roadblocks. 

The Alliance for Freedom and Change is the main opposition coalition that has been representing protester groups in negotiations with the TMC for the reinstallation of a civilian government. 

Sudan has been under authoritarian/ military rule for a little more than 30 years with most of it being under Omar al-Bashir but following his toppling by Sudanese military on the 11th of April the TMC has been in command. 

In December of 2018 thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets after the decision by the government to increase the price of fuel and bread, the increase of bread was triple the amount. These protests then evolved into widespread anti-government protests long-time autocratic president Omar al-Bashir. 

Protesters then staged a sit-in from the 6th of April outside the defense ministry in Khartoum demanding that the army forcibly remove al-Bashir. Once this had happened protesters then demanded that Sudan’s authority be transferred to a civilian administration.

-JP