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February 4, 2022
by Pete Brown, Detroit Workers’ Voice
Resistance committees in Sudan are getting more organized since the March of Millions on Monday, January 17th. On that day hundreds of thousands marched in Khartoum and other cities to demand an immediate transition to democratic civilian rule and an end to rule by the military, which seized complete power in a coup last October 25th. But military rulers responded to the demonstrations with violence. Their troops opened fire on the protesters and killed seven. (1) The country was then shut down for two days by a nationwide silent strike to protest the killings. (2) The military junta, embarrassed somewhat by international reaction to the murders, set up a commission of inquiry to investigate how such a thing could happen (after, no doubt, giving the order for it to happen). But they made no move toward resigning power.
Since then, the protests have continued. The latest occurred on January 30th, when activists called for a new March of Millions. (3) During this protest, soldiers opened fire with rubber bullets as well as regular bullets and tear gas. One man was shot in the chest and died, and 124 wounded protesters were treated at hospitals in Khartoum. One day of mourning was declared for the murdered protester, and resistance committees throughout Sudan then declared their intention to hold a March of Millions every Monday in February. (4) Also, they declared they have stepped up negotiations between themselves, and plan to have a new charter for the government of Sudan ready by the end of February. This would be their idea of a new constitution for Sudan, which would no doubt call for a completely democratic, civilian government.
This is an exciting development, which shows that the resistance
committees organizing and leading the oppositional movement have
matured and are in regular communication and agreement with one
another. It would refute the story of those in the U.S. Department of
State who say, “Gee, things in Sudan are so confusing, we can’t figure
it out and therefore cannot impose sanctions on the military leaders.”
One city’s resistance leaders have already published their ideas for a
new national charter. The RCs in Wad Madani, a city 85 miles southeast
of Khartoum, published their draft charter this week. (5) They say they
have been in regular communication with resistance committees in
Khartoum working on such a charter and are ready to submit their own
ideas as a draft. Their draft charter emphasizes democratic rule by
civilians and also emphasizes decentralization, with much power being
devolved onto local and regional bodies. This is important in Sudan,
where power has been overcentralized in Khartoum and the surrounding
region for generations. Outlying rural areas have been deprived of
development and suffer from lack of roads, health clinics, etc.,
despite having a large share of Sudan’s population. This has been a
major factor driving the civil wars in Sudan that persisted for decades.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the Senate held hearings on Sudan the last week of January. (6) After the military killings on January 17th exposed the Sudanese regime as incurably fascist, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held special hearings to consider imposing strict sanctions on the Sudanese military. Some Senators, even Republicans, denounced the military rulers of Sudan and called for sanctions. As an expert witness they called the State Dept.’s Assistant Secretary for Africa, Molly Phee. Phee had just returned from a trip to Sudan and neighboring countries along with Biden’s Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, David Satterfield. Phee’s advice was: the U.S. cannot do anything, the administration’s hands are tied, the opposition is disunited, it’s all so confusing, blah blah. This was nonsense, as some Senators politely pointed out. The Biden administration is confused, because its policy of seeking to moderate the struggle has gone bankrupt. More realistic Senators and bourgeois think tanks in Washington and Khartoum hope to save this policy via talking to the main force of the resistance movement. (7) They too want to moderate the struggle, though they recognize that the resistance committees have to be dealt with. But the democratic forces in Sudan are beyond conciliating the junta that has murdered scores of protesters and jailed many of its leaders.
Phee said the Biden administration has already taken steps to curtail military aid to the Sudanese military. But Sudan is surrounded by other U.S. allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, and all these countries maintain friendly ties with the Sudanese military. Next door to Sudan, Egypt is ruled by another military regime set up by a coup, and Egypt has recently received hundreds of millions of dollars in American military aid. Egypt has also contracted to buy $2.5 billion worth of military hardware from the U.S., including jet fighter warplanes. So it’s not likely the Sudanese military will have any shortage of American military equipment. Another likely source of weapons is Israel, which sent a new delegation to Sudan recently. (8) Phee’s talk of a “confusing situation” and pretending that the democratic opposition forces are disunited is just Biden-babble, stalling for time while the military junta works to consolidate itself with aid from friendly neighbors.
Democratic and revolutionary forces should rally to support the Sudanese resistance committees and work to isolate the Sudanese fascist military. Victory to the democratic revolution in Sudan!
(1) Abdi Latif Dahir, “Sudan’s Security Forces Kill Protesters as U.S. Diplomats’ Visit Nears,” New York Times, January 18, 2022.
(2) “Sudan mourns killed protesters, enters two-day ‘comprehensive strike.’” Radio Dabanga, January 19, 2022.
(3) “Demonstrator shot dead as mass marches persist across Sudan.” Radio Dabanga, January 31, 2022.
(4) “Khartoum resistance: ‘Marches of the Millions every Monday in February’.” Radio Dabanga, February 2, 2022.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/
(5) “Sudan grassroots forces prioritise social justice in political proposal.” Radio Dabanga, January 26, 2022.
(6) “US Senators seek Sudan sanctions”. Radio Dabanga, February 2, 2022.
(7) “Sudan’s pro-democracy movement hopes to force a transition to civilian rule.” NPR, All Things Considered, January 17, 2022.
(8) “Reports: Israeli delegation lands in Sudan for meeting with ruling general.” Times of Israel and AP. 19 January 2022. Aside
from these external sources, the Sudanese military has its own domestic
weapons factories, thanks to China. See Sudan: Darfur and the Failure
of an African State by Richard Cockett (Yale U. Press, 2010), pp. 27,
185, 277-278. <>
Picture: Despite tear gas and bullets, anti-coup protests continue in Sudan
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