You may have noticed that a lot of the people you follow on various social media platforms, especially Instagram have changed their display picture to a plain blue color. The reason so many Pakistanis are doing this is to stand in solidarity with Sudan.
Recently there has been a lot of conversation about the terrible events happening Sudan right now
People have been posting about the various atrocities happening in the African country. But since there is a media and internet blackout in the country itself, most of the information available online is scattered and from civilians narrating the situation to friends or colleagues abroad.
However, the news is the same all around; hundreds of people have already been killed by military forces.
When the protests in Sudan began, everyone had their eyes on the country. The image of a young Sudanese woman dressed in white with big gold earrings went viral and became a symbol of revolution.
The uprising against the 30-year long dictatorship by Omar al-Bashir was successful as he was toppled over and the military took over as the interim-government who would help set up the civilian government the people were demanding.
But as of a few weeks ago, the military launched an attack on the unarmed protestors to make them disperse
The military is being commanded by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan but it is largely believed that the person pulling the strings from behind the scenes is Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who has orchestrated mass genocide in the country’s past.
But the brutality has still not stopped protestors who were originally organized by the Sudanese Professionals Association which has affiliations with multiple trade unions in the country. The protestors are now calling for a complete paralysis of civilian life through disobedience.
And of course, the military is not backing down either and is attacking its own people. The death toll is steadily rising and there are numerous reports of women and children being raped. The entire situation is getting worse day by day.
The saddest part is that there is largely silence from the international community on this issue.
There are hundreds of human rights violations taking place in Sudan as we speak but there is no strong condemnation against the massacre taking place there by anyone. In fact, the UN is currently considering whether it should withdraw from Sudan altogether; in a time when the people of the country need them the most.
Due to the general indifference to the situation in Sudan from the West, a lot of people have taken it upon themselves to raise the issue. Social media websites are filled with posts about the brutalities taking place in Sudan right now.
Everyone is being encouraged to change their display picture to blue in order to show their solidarity with the people of Sudan and create a maximum level of awareness
https://twitter.com/ibrahimyounaspk/status/1139109898514571264
Hopefully the world will take notice and something will be done.
What do you think about people using social media as a tool for change? Let us know in the comments below.
