Image posted by Sudanese Journalist, Dalia Eltahir
22 November, 2021
On the 25th of October factions of the Sudanese military initiated a coup against the transitional government. The people of Sudan have peacefully declared their opposition to the illegitimate coup, by taking to the streets en masse in different parts of Sudan. This peaceful opposition has been met with tear gas, rubber bullets, sound bombs, and live ammunition. Many have been injured and at least 41 have died, but the count is still increasing. Five of the 41 who have been killed were below the age of 18.
Now, two more casualties have been confirmed by SIHA staff: Sit Alnofor Adam Bakar and Rimaz Hatim, who both died as a result of gunshot injuries. Sit Alnofor Adam Bakar died while peacefully protesting against the military coup. Rimaz Hatim, who was only 14 years old and did not take part in the protests, was killed by a stray bullet that made its way into her house while she slept.
Sit Alnofor Adam Bakar, was a 25-year-old nurse, activist, and a member of the Kadaro resistance committee in Khartoum Bahri. It appears she was targeted because of her active role as a nurse in providing medical assistance to the protesters during all of the protests that occurred in her area. She was shot in the head by the coup forces in the City of Bahri, Shambat area on the 17th of November.
Additionally, there are unconfirmed numbers of women human rights defenders being detained. There are also reports of sexual violence against women protestors and street vendors perpetrated by the military junta.
SIHA condemns this senseless violence that the Sudanese people are being subjected to on a daily basis for daring to demand a civilian-led and democratic government. We stress that this illegitimate military junta is a combination of armed forces including militias, the RSF and other allies to the Bashir regime. SIHA further condemns Hamdok’s acceptance of the appointment to governing alongside the warlords who continue to hold Sudan captive and shamelessly repress the women and men of Sudan who are demanded their basic human rights. SIHA reminds our friends and allies in international community that if this military junta remains in power in Sudan, there will be a massive setback on women’s rights across the country, particularly as we know that the transitional government, which was led by Hamdok from 2019 to 2021, did not change the discriminatory policies inherited from the Bashir regime, nor did it ratify international rights mechanisms and doctrines like CEDAW.
In this dark hour, we call on the Sudanese people to continue in their peaceful protests against the military junta and we call on the international community to acknowledge and support the rights of the Sudanese people to live with dignity under a civilian-led and democratically-elected government.
