If you saw the latest episode of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, then you might know what’s going on in Sudan right now. If not, here’s the gist: There has been a wave of protests across the country since the removal of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president for 30 years. The country has since been under a Transitional Military Council (TMC), and citizens have staged pro-democracy demonstrations opposing this and have called on a civilian rule.
Since the protests began, the death toll is now in the hundreds, with bodies being recovered in the Nile River. Also concerning is the growing number of people raped in the capital city of Khartoum.
According to The Guardian, doctors in the city believe paramilitaries committed over 70 rapes during a sit-in attack on a protest camp last week. It’s also believed that members of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out this heinous act against both men and women.
Women’s rights activist Nahid Jabrallah told DW that some of the bodies found in the Nile were women who had been sexually abused. She also added “that it had been difficult to establish exact numbers, as many local internet providers have been shut down and telephone connections are unreliable.”
“Everyone was threatened with being raped if they resisted the RSF’s orders,” Nahid said.
Several netizens, including New York-based Sudanese beauty blogger Shahd Khidir, has called on the spread of information regarding the atrocities in Sudan. This is especially important following news of a media and Internet blackout in Khartoum.
We also hope international organizations would do something to interfere with this clear violation of human rights in Sudan.
[The Guardian and DW]
Photo courtesy of @rejwanaparvin’s Instagram account
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