Response to Violence in Sudan

Content Warning: This statement contains details of violence against individuals.

June 3, 2019. For many people around the world, this was just another day: another day at work, another day at school, another day at summer camp, or something in between. However, an entire country found this day to mark the beginning of a horrific massacre. On June 3,  hundreds of Sudanese civilians were brutally killed by the Rapid Support Forces, a division of the Sudanese military, for peacefully protesting their government. Hundreds upon thousands of Sudanese civilians have been injured, raped, murdered, discarded into the Nile River, and reported missing, including women and children. Moreover, the country has been placed on an internet blackout by the State for over a week now, making it incredibly challenging for activists, journalists, and survivors to share the current state of affairs in Sudan with the world.

At The Bridge, we believe that there is no place and no excuse for silence in response to such horrific, inhumane crimes. We acknowledge that this is not the first African country to have undergone such suffering. From before the Rwandan genocide to the splitting of Sudan and South Sudan to bloodshed in Cameroon and a modern-day slave trade in Libya, we know that other African communities continue to suffer. However, we refuse to turn a blind eye at the loss and degradation of Black Muslim lives happening in Sudan right now. The Bridge denounces the violence and massacres against Sudanese civilians that have occurred and continue to occur during this time. As an organization dedicated to uplifting the voices and experiences of women of color, The Bridge stands in solidarity with the Sudanese civilians (particularly those who identify as women), as well as with our Sudanese communities at Duke and UNC. In a time where world leaders believe it to be essential to hide and conceal these violences as much as possible, we must take a stand against this massacre.

For more information on the ongoing massacre in Sudan, as well as how you can help, feel free to use these resources:

Resistbot: Text RESIST to 50409 and Resistbot will send letters to your Senators/Representatives in Congress to spread awareness about what’s happening in Sudan.

Stay Up to Date: For reliable, current coverage of the conflict in Sudan, check out these accounts:

-Yousra Elbagir: www.twitter.com/YousraElbagir

-Ramey Dawoud: www.twitter.com/RealRameyDawoud

-Sara Elhassan: www.twitter.com/BSonblast

-Sudanese Professionals Association: www.twitter.com/AssociationSd

Change.org Petition: https://www.change.org/p/antónio-guterres-the-secretary-general-of-the-united-nations-the-un-must-investigate-the-3rd-of-june-human-rights-violations-in-sudan-by-the-military

Refinery29:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/06/235515/sudan-political-food-crisis-how-to-help

AidforAfrica: Information on non-profit organizations making change in Africa by country https://www.aidforafrica.org/home/

In love + power,

Adrianna Williams and Ruth Samuel

Duke and UNC Editors-in-Chief of The Bridge