null
Mohamed Mattar was a 26-year old engineer and graduate of London's Brunel University when he was shot by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) while attempting to protect two women. He was one of the estimated over 100 casualties of that day, June 3rd, when the Transitional Military Council (TMC) attempted to clear the sit-in protest in front of their headquarters.
Yet, unlike the many killed in what has come to be called the Eid Massacre, Mattar has become a symbol for the #BlueForSudan social media campaign where thousands of people have replaced their profile pictures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to his favorite color blue, to show solidarity with the protestors demanding civilian government and draw attention to the atrocities committed by the military regime. It is one of the many social media campaigns that have moved the crisis in Sudan into an international internet spotlight despite the country's own citizens being deprived of internet access by its military government.
Sudan is a country in transition. In December 2018, protests over bread and cash shortages evolved into protests against President Omar Al-Bashir who had been in power for thirty years. In April, Al-Bashir was arrested by the military who took control of the transition, declaring a three-month state of emergency and a two-year transition led by the military until the country could see free and democratic elections. However, this was not supported by protestors, who demanded the creation of a civilian government and continued their demonstrations, including their continued sit-in in front of military headquarters. In response, the military cracked down, bringing in the RDF, a group originating from the Janjaweed militias who were responsible for the 2011 Darfur genocide, to scatter protestors, and periodically blocking social media and internet access to prevent mass organization with these tools, throwing the country into an internet blackout.
Still, Sudan's social media attention outside of its borders exploded. In addition to #BlueForSudan, hashtags like #SudanMassacre and #IAmSudanRevolution have trended on Twitter, condemning the TMC. Media personalities as varied as Rihanna, George Clooney, Philip DeFranco, and Hasan Minhaj have used their platform to speak out about the situation, Campaigns on GoFundMe and Facebook have started to raise money, and a Change.org petition that demands a UN inquiry has over 100,000 signatures. This is a social media firestorm, and even with the subject of the firestorm prevented from accessing the internet, it could still shape the end result of Sudan's transition.
Social media is critical in organizing modern mass demonstrations. Watershed events like the Arab Spring came about because platforms like Facebook and Twitter were used to organize mass demonstrations and broadcast them, galvanizing others within the country and attracting international attention. This has unsurprisingly resulted in a crackdown authoritarian governments. Russia and Iran are in the process of making their own internet. China and Russia have used their position on the security council to propose resolutions that would limit internet freedoms, and numerous countries have temporarily blocked social media or internet access within their borders with Sudan being joined by Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Eritrea in doing so just this year.
These crackdowns have two aims: to stop demonstrations by breaking their organizational backbone and to cover government atrocities, but Sudan's internet blackout has failed to accomplish both of these objectives. Although organizing has been made harder, according to a recent report by the Financial Times, the desire to organize has not abated. Forwarded SMS messages (cell service is not affected by the internet blackout) have replaced Facebook and Twitter as a means of communication. Neighborhood committees have taken the responsibility of planning demonstrations.
With protests now localized, the TMC may find it easier to crack down but it now faces increased international scrutiny based on what we do know. Sudan's troubles started in December, but the situation in the country has only just made breaking news. This is the product of sustained media campaigns outside the country seeking to raise awareness and outside pressure for the Sudanese government to acquiesce to protester demands. Through hashtags and personal accounts, social media users have been able to convince major media outlets with greater resources to monitor the Sudanese military government.
This push also extends to the political sphere. In the face of rising concern about Sudan in the United States, the U.S. government stated that "the TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan" after the Eid Massacre, and sent a special envoy, Donald Booth to help negotiate a solution. Ending violence and making space for civilian rule is also shared by Norway and the UK. The African Union has suspended Sudan's membership in the organization until civilian rule is established.
These government actions seem slow and small in comparison to the social media tide that ushered them in. It took months to bring Sudan into the international spotlight. While the U.S. and Europe have criticized the TMC, they are loath to criticize the military government's allies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for backing the military regime. The two countries have given at least $3 billion in support of the TMC in addition to political support.
Media has always been an important vehicle for the free spread of information. In the 20th century, transnational advocacy networks used television and radio to communicate and raise awareness about dictatorships in Latin America and apartheid in South Africa. In the 21st century, it is clear that these advocacy networks have been digitized. The complexity and extent of social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are important because they make censorship difficult. As seen in Sudan, even if country-wide means of communication are censored, making it harder to organize, the ease of spreading national issues internationally ensures that authoritarian governments cannot crackdown unnoticed.
But there are still limits and gaps between social media awareness and political action. Despite news about Sudan spreading among Twitter and YouTube audiences worldwide, political realities have frustrated efforts to do more than blue-out our profile pictures in solidarity with the Sudanese protestors experiencing an internet blackout. As social media increases in its power, its limitations become even more evident and require us to do more to advocate for the change we tweet about.
