Liberation wishes to express its solidarity with the people of Sudan and their aspirations towards freedom, peace, and justice following the outbreak of fighting between army units loyal to the de facto leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Sudan’s deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti..
We publish below a statement and provide a link from leading organisations in the popular movement resisting military rule in Sudan
Sudanese Communist Party – UK & Ireland, 15 April 2023
Sudan witnesses today a spark of a disastrous armed conflict between the leaders of the Ex-Regime of General Bashir Security Committee. Khartoum and other cities have experienced mobilisation and exchange of fire, including heavy artillery and the use of jet fighters bombing between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Hemedti.
We condemn the military escalation between the two counter-revolution military forces. This is certainly an expected outcome of these factions’ leaders’ power struggle aimed at controlling the country’s resources at a time when their four years alliance in power has proven to have failed in running the country and in achieving their goal of aborting the ongoing December 2018 revolution. This situation is also clearly inflamed by their alliances with different regional and international powers that continue intervening in our country’s politics based on their capitalist interest.
The current poor economic situation and the fragile security put Sudan on the extreme verge of a national humanitarian crisis if there is no immediate halt to the new irresponsible military action.
We urge the junior officers and soldiers from both factions to put pressure to avoid further escalation and to ensure an immediate ceasefire.
The military, both the SAF and RSF, have proven their failure and incapability of leading the country. Our faith is in the revolutionary forces and the resistance committees to continue their organisation and peaceful struggle to achieve a revolutionary civilian government that establishes the base for a democratic Sudan, peoples’ power, dissolves the paramilitary forces, reforms the Sudanese Army, and brings justice to all the victims since 1989, including those of the Darfur Genocide, the 3rd June 2019 massacre of the ‘Sit-in’ disperse and today’s victims.
The Sudanese people’s aspiration towards freedom, peace, and justice remains alive and driven by the ongoing peaceful revolution that succeeded in the ousting of General Bashir on 11 April 2019 and shall prevail in defeating the counter-revolution forces by continuing the peaceful resistance approach and avoiding any deviation to violence.
We urgently appeal and call for the following :
- An immediate ceasefire
- Establishing a Broad Anti-War Front
- The political parties, trade unions, professional bodies, and the widespread resistance
committees to raise anti-war slogans and ensure the safety and security of people in different
neighbourhoods of affected cities. - The political and trade union forces in the United Kingdom and Ireland to create a front
demanding an end to the war - The international peace and anti-war movements, trade unionist, human rights organisations,
members of parliaments, activists, and all campaigners for democracy and peace to show
solidarity with the Sudanese people and their revolution.
Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA)*, 15 April 2023
Statement to the Sudanese People:
The hands of treachery, betrayal, and systematic violence, fighting over the remains of our beloved homeland, have chosen not to resolve their despicable conflicts except through the barrel of the gun. They have ignited open armed conflict in the streets of the country’s capital. Their sedition and violence had been already experienced, for many years, in the outskirts and villages of Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The battles which are now raging on the outskirts of Khartoum reflect only the whims and struggles of the generals of the Security Committee of the National Congress’ regime and its affiliated militias, instigated by regional and international powers. The victims of these battles will only be the marginalized, including destitute soldiers and unarmed civilians.
We call on the forces of the Revolution, including the Resistance Committees in the neighbourhoods, the trade unionist forces and professional bodies to take the initiative to protect neighbourhoods through the formation of community peace committees. We are fully aware of the absence of the state and its institutions, and we have no choice but to activate the role of our civil society and the forces of the Revolution that have been for a long time the anchor for our local communities.
Committees for protection, peace and revolution are needed now!
*The SPA is the body that represents the main trade unions and professional associations such as lawyers, engineers and medical doctors in Sudan.
Photo: Creative Commons
