24 November 2024

First Day of Eid in Sudan Marked with Funeral Processions and Protests

Sudan is split on when Eid Al Fitr begins. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the umbrella of 15 different Sudanese trade unions spearheading the months-long protests have announced 4 June 2019 as the first day of Eid Al Fitr. However, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) have announced it will fall on 5 June 2019.

Regardless, many are not celebrating Eid Al Fitr calling it ‘Eid Shaheed’ after government forces began shooting at peaceful protesters in an attempt to disassemble the mass sit-in in Al Qeyada at the headquarters of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which left at least 35 dead and over 100 critically injured on 3 June 2019.

Videos shared on social media show people preparing and praying Eid Al Fitr prayer and paying tribute to those who were killed yesterday by government forces known as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) or Janjaweed. 

In some neighbourhoods in Khartoum, protesters took to the streets after Eid prayers.

As RSF and other government forces are still on the streets, protesters are continuing rebuilding and placing new barricades on main streets and within their neighbourhoods.

SPA have called on protesters to continue blocking roads, streets and bridges with barricades of rocks, stones, burning tyres and more. In addition, SPA has called on an indefinite national strike or civil disobedience until TMC specifically Burhan and Hemedti step down.

After the bloody massacre and in the early hours of Tuesday, 4 June 2019, in a televised statement, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, the head of TMC, announced that TMC has decided to cancel all agreements with the Alliance of Freedom and Change and will move ahead with elections to be held within nine months. TMC will now set up an interim government to prepare for elections, which would be internationally supervised.

Protests are expected to continue, calling for an interim civilian government to lead.

What You Need to Know About What’s Happening in Sudan Right Now

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