The forceful use of violence and power plays to shutdown Sudan’s internet has awoken serious concerns over the state in Sudan
However the citizens in their quest to protests did not only seek removal of Bashir’s government but also the transition to a civilian government which the military has since then refused to acknowledge. The Sudan Transitional Military Council thus ordered an internet shutdown across the country as a way to hinder Sudanese people from communicating what is happening on the ground with the world.
An article by access Now KeepItOn campaign emphasizes that “this time around, internet shutdowns have directly been followed by reports of systematic and organized killings and looting by the Transitional Military Council”, as proof once again of the power the internet holds in mobilizing communities, building communities of trust towards issues of urgent concern for the people and serving as a space to strategize, move and communicate around threats to democracy.
While technology has proved to be an enable of citizen’s journalists as well as traditional journalists there have been reports of the military confiscating and destroying mobile phones and other electronic devices of protesters. The previous government of Sudan before the removal of Omar Al Bashir had used the same means to stifle citizens’ voices and curtail the revolution of the masses. However the Transitional government should not follow in those footsteps if they mean to push for an effective and open democratic Sudan that is sensitive to the people’s needs.