The Sudanese Genocide: Omar al-Bashir's Role
(Translated)
While the world knows a lot about the genocide that our people in Palestine are suffering from, what is known or circulated about the suffering of the people of Sudan during the past eighteen months of silent genocide is much less. This atrocity has claimed the lives of more than 15,000 people, displaced more than 10 million, and left half the population – 25 million people – facing food insecurity and hunger.
What is not widely known is that this genocide stems from the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. However, Sudan's problems did not begin in 2023, but in 1956, when the country gained independence from British-Egyptian rule. Since then, Sudan has witnessed seven military coups, the most important of which was in 1989, which brought Omar al-Bashir to power, who ruled as a dictator for three decades.
After 30 years of injustice, the Sudanese people finally succeeded in ousting al-Bashir and celebrated their new freedom; a freedom that was soon snatched away from them by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, commander of the Rapid Support Forces. The two men gained immense influence and wealth under the al-Bashir regime.
Before the 1989 coup that made Omar al-Bashir the ruler of Sudan, the country was mired in its second civil war with the Sudan People's Liberation Army, led by John Garang. Garang is often accused of acting as an agent for America, seeking to achieve its interests to divide Sudan for strategic and economic gains. These efforts culminated in the 2005 Naivasha Agreement, signed by al-Bashir and Garang, which paved the way for the independence of South Sudan.
It is worth noting that South Sudan possesses huge oil reserves, which prompted the United States to invest more than $1.2 billion in this emerging country, under the slogans of "peacebuilding" and "good governance", while it was competing with China for regional hegemony.
At the same time, Sudan's economy was collapsing. Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi lost popular support, as people faced famine, displacement, a domestic debt crisis, and hyperinflation exceeding 70%, all exacerbated by a currency collapse that made people unable to afford basic necessities.
These conditions created fertile ground for al-Bashir - with the support of the National Islamic Front, which allied with Saudi Arabia and the United States against the Soviet Union - to carry out a peaceful coup on June 30, 1989. Upon taking power, al-Bashir dissolved parliament, declared himself head of state, prime minister, and minister of defense, and imposed strict provisions of "Islamic Sharia."
As the new leader, al-Bashir quickly surrounded himself with loyal protectors, most notably the Sudanese Armed Forces, where Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rose to become Inspector General. Al-Burhan's role was to ensure al-Bashir's security and suppress any opposition.
Despite the promise of prosperity, al-Bashir's government quickly suppressed minorities. The 1990s, often called the "Years of Terror," saw the emergence of ghost houses; secret detention centers where opponents, including intellectuals, communists, and army officers, were tortured. Public floggings and executions also began, including the execution of three men for possessing US dollars, sparking a wave of fear among the population.
Al-Bashir also imposed strict interpretations of Islamic Sharia, such as cutting off the hand of a thief, even when the theft was motivated by hunger or poverty. However, according to sound Islamic jurisprudence, these punishments are suspended in times of famine or hardship, as exemplified by Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab, who refused to implement this punishment during the famine. Meanwhile, al-Bashir and his regime embezzled billions of dollars, with $90 million found in his home after his removal in 2019, highlighting his selective application of Islamic law.
Despite his brutal methods, civil wars and rebellions erupted. In South Sudan, the Second Civil War broke out between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army, leaving more than two million dead, most of them civilians. The Sudanese Armed Forces largely fought this war, with al-Burhan playing a key role in military operations.
Meanwhile, in western Sudan, the Darfur region, long neglected by Khartoum, revolted. Instead of deploying the Sudanese Armed Forces, al-Bashir hired the Janjaweed militias, including Hemedti, to brutally suppress the uprising. This was the beginning of the genocide in Darfur.
The Janjaweed militia, known for its brutality, launched a campaign of ethnic cleansing. More than 300,000 people were killed, 2.5 million were displaced, women were raped, men were executed, and children were abused. Hemedti and his forces were compensated through the gold mines in Darfur, making the displacement of the local population not only a military objective, but also an economic one. So, what was their "reward" for this genocide? Official recognition from the Sudanese government, and renaming them the Rapid Support Forces!
As al-Bashir enriched himself and his cronies, the population continued to starve, and the economy disintegrated. With the independence of South Sudan, Sudan lost most of its oil wealth. A review of the national budget showed that 70% of spending went to the military, leaving little for health care, education, or food security.
Added to this were decades of corruption, stolen wealth, inflated debt, and crushing inflation, and the Sudanese people were left to suffer a three-decade nightmare. But just when they thought things were over, and hope arose after al-Bashir's ouster, his followers intervened to fill the void; Al-Burhan and Hemedti, the two men his rule empowered, are now waging war against each other while Sudan bleeds.
#SudanCrisis #أزمة_السودان
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Umatullah Hashmi
