Africa letter: "Sudanese revolutionaries offline but not silenced"

In our series of letters from African journalists, Zeinab Mohammed Salih describes what is life without the Internet for the Sudanese revolutionaries.

Many Sudanese are still in shock after the crackdown by security forces that brutally dispersed the crowd during the sit-in in front of the army headquarters on 3 June.

The opposition claims that more than 100 people were killed in the capital, Khartoum, that day – and doctors say that 40 of those who died were thrown into the Nile.

As a result of the mbadacre, the Internet was closed by the Transitional Military Council (TMC), which declared that it was necessary in the interest of "national security".

During the eventful days of mbad demonstrations that led to the ousting of Omar al-Bashir by the military, almost everyone in Khartoum was stuck on his phone.

The main organization organizing the events – the Association of Sudanese Professionals (ASP) – would make this announcement via its Facebook page, which has more than 800,000 subscribers.

Thousands of people have used Twitter and Facebook to galvanize their efforts to demand a return to civilian rule.

Now that the site of sit-in – which covers a vast area ranging from the Army HQ to the campus of the University of Khartoum and north of the Nile – is in ashes, the feeling of isolation is overwhelming.

Not only were the protesters unable to gather, but they had difficulty communicating and sharing their disappointment, frustration and anger at the turn of events.

& # 39; Costing millions & # 39;

It also leaves them isolated from the rest of the world – and in the days following the crackdown, members of the diaspora desperately needed to contact their friends and family.

The shutdown of the Internet costs businesses millions of dollars, according to local newspapers, which the country can not afford, since it was the economic problems that triggered the demonstrations in December.

For me as a journalist, it has made my professional life very difficult. At first, I had to send stories to London via SMS – and these would not always be delivered.

That was until a friend told me about a downtown Khartoum hotel with a good fixed internet connection.

But reaching the hotel is not easy either.

More on the Sudan crisis

Most of Khartoum's roads were blocked by barricades erected by activists revolted by the killings – and the locals, especially the first few days after the crackdown, had to walk everywhere.

This was strangely in total silence and in stark contrast to the noise emanating from the sit-in site for two months.

Some offices also have a fixed Internet connection and my sister walked for three hours to go to her, east of Khartoum, to consult an urgent email from an American university where she hopes to study.

Those who were forced to walk were seen carrying knives and sticks, especially in the twin town of Omdurman, in Khartoum, to protect themselves.

The SPA has now started sending SMS messages to mobilize people, but not everyone is registered with them – I have not received one yet – and some fear that the texts will be followed by the authorities.

Most people prefer to turn to old-fashioned phone calls to convey information.

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I've talked to more friends and contacts over the past few weeks than during a year.

There is always a fear that these conversations will be followed, but we feel that everything can not be monitored.

Word of mouth

Without the Internet, many pro-democracy activists are also cut off from the information they trust.

Public television is largely ignored because it is the mouthpiece of the military junta.

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath is probably the most watched television channel. Even though the Saudis are perceived as supporters of the TMC, it largely covers events in Sudan.

And the protest movement is slowly re-galvanizing – word of mouth.

The demonstrations begin to take place at night in the suburbs of the capital and in neighboring cities.

As more and more people talk about it, they are getting bigger – even if witnesses say they are forced to stay on smaller streets because of the presence of security forces on the main roads. .

Nevertheless, this shows the resistance of the protesters – and their hope that their demands will ultimately bear fruit.

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