{ "article": { "title" : "Sudan: Civilian Rule is the Will of the People", "author" : "Yassmin Abdel-Magied", "category" : "essays", "url" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/readings/sudan-civilian-rule-is-the-will-of-the-people", "date" : "2024-01-24 15:00:00 -0500", "img" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/uploads/Sudan.jpg", "excerpt" : "A beautiful wedding song to play as you’re reading this. ", "content" : "A beautiful wedding song to play as you’re reading this. Hussein Merghani’s watercolor of hundreds of people from Atbara traveling to join the sit-in at the military headquarters in Khartoum in April 2019. from the article, How Art Helped Propel Sudan’s Revolution by Elizabeth Murray.– ‘The Sudanese are such wonderful people. Sudan is such a wonderful country! Just a shame you are cursed with such terrible leaders…’These were the words of my father-in-law, last year. Or perhaps they were the words of an Egyptian colleague, or an Emirati friend. I can’t remember exactly, because I have heard the same refrain time and time again from folks who know Sudan, Sudanese people, and feel something akin to pity for our plight.Our story wasn’t always this way. At least, five years ago, we believed the story of Sudan was being re-written. Protests had begun in regional towns across the North-East African nation in December 2018, culminating in the removal of three-decades long dictator, Omar El-Bashir, less than six months later. The December Movement was inspiring, the sit-in outside the front of the military headquarters in the capital city Khartoum seen as revolution-in-praxis: Sudanese folks young and old, coming together to live out the ideals of the nation they were hoping to build in real time, demonstrating to the world - and themselves - a better future was possible. We in the diaspora looked on, glowing with pride, stories, art and song.The situation took a turn at the end of Ramadan that year, when armed forces massacred the civilians at the sit-in. Bodies were thrown into the Nile with heartless abandon, staining the banks of the ancient river red. It was an ominous omen of things to come. The civilian-military coalition tasked with transitioning Sudan to a civilian government was overthrown in a coup in late 2021, and in April 2023, the tensions between two generals belligerents and the armed groups they commanded erupted into all out war.Khartoum had not witnessed conflict like this since the siege of the city in the late 19th century, when Mahdist forces captured the city and overthrew the British Governor, General Gordon. Khartoum’s relative peace over the decades has often been a sore point; those from the regions rightly rageful at the idea the nation was ‘safe’, while millions were ravaged: genocide in the west, civil war in the south, the list of tragedies creaking under the weight of a pain words cannot bear. But to recognise the fractured nature of the constructed nation of Sudan is to understand part of what made the Revolution so exciting, so hopeful. This was a movement that began in the regions, and Khartoum followed behind. This was a movement that declared ‘We Are All Darfur’ for the first time in decades, a recognition that all Sudanese should stand up against oppression by the state and not cower behind the protection of tribal affiliation. This was a movement that was by the people, for the people; non-violent and courageous, steeped in principles of pluralism, mutual-aid, and a desperate, clawing, no-holds-barred, hope.What I wouldn’t give to feel that hope again, today.I will tell you the statistics, although I don’t know what difference it will make. Over 7 million people have been forcibly displaced, Sudan now facing the world’s worst displacement crisis. The war has formally claimed over 12,000 lives, but the number is likely to be much, much higher. Almost 20 million children are out of school, risking ‘generational catastrophe’, according to the United Nations. Rape is being used as a systematic weapon of war, millions are all but starving, and no help is on the way. The outlook is so grim, even Martin Griffith, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, took to social media to express his frustration.We are witnessing the collapse of a nation. And, as I have said before, we are bearing witness in relative silence.But it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, you can help us make sure it isn’t.For as much as the collapse of a nation state is a catastrophe, Sudanese people know that things could not continue as they were. They are continuing to organise, take care of each other, build a nation of people beyond the confines of a militarised state. Through resistance committees, emergency response rooms, creating art from the heart of the rubble, they are imagining a better future, even as their worlds crumble. And they, we, need all of you to help make that possible, inshallah.So, please. Keep Eyes on Sudan. Share the stories of our success, our hope, our potential. Donate, especially to those on the ground, if you can. Amplify the voices of those continuing to speak, to bravely report, to consistently show up.No action is too small, every movement is appreciated.Freedom, Peace and Justice. Civilian Rule is the Will of the People, and we will see it in our lifetimes, inshallah. We are not free until we are all free. Khair, inshallah.A powerful revolution song to play as you sit with the words of this article. & a whole playlist to #KeepEarsOnSudan. " } , "relatedposts": [ { "title" : "100+ Years of Genocidal Intent in Palestine", "author" : "Collis Browne", "category" : "essays", "url" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/readings/100-years-of-genocidal-intent", "date" : "2025-10-07 18:01:00 -0400", "img" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/uploads/1920-jerusalem.jpg", "excerpt" : "Every single Israeli prime minister, president, and major Zionist leader has voiced clear intent to erase the Palestinian people from their lands, either by forced expulsion, or military violence. From Herzl and Chaim Weizmann to Ben-Gurion to Netanyahu, the record is not ambiguous:", "content" : "Every single Israeli prime minister, president, and major Zionist leader has voiced clear intent to erase the Palestinian people from their lands, either by forced expulsion, or military violence. From Herzl and Chaim Weizmann to Ben-Gurion to Netanyahu, the record is not ambiguous:{% for person in site.data.genocidalquotes %}{{ person.name }}{% if person.title %}<p class=\"title-xs\">{{ person.title }}</p>{% endif %}{% for quote in person.quotes %}“{{ quote.text }}”{% if quote.source %}— {{ quote.source }}{% endif %}{% endfor %}{% endfor %}" } , { "title" : "Dignity Before Stadiums:: Morocco’s Digital Uprising", "author" : "Cheb Gado", "category" : "", "url" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/readings/dignity-before-stadiums", "date" : "2025-10-02 09:08:00 -0400", "img" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/uploads/EIP_Cover_Morocco_GenZ.jpg", "excerpt" : "No one expected a generation raised on smartphones and TikTok clips to ignite a spark of protest shaking Morocco’s streets. But Gen Z, the children of the internet and speed, have stepped forward to write a new chapter in the history of uprisings, in their own style.The wave of anger began with everyday struggles that cut deep into young people’s lives: soaring prices, lack of social justice, and the silencing of their voices in politics. They didn’t need traditional leaders or party manifestos; the movement was born out of a single hashtag that spread like wildfire, transforming individual frustration into collective momentum.", "content" : "No one expected a generation raised on smartphones and TikTok clips to ignite a spark of protest shaking Morocco’s streets. But Gen Z, the children of the internet and speed, have stepped forward to write a new chapter in the history of uprisings, in their own style.The wave of anger began with everyday struggles that cut deep into young people’s lives: soaring prices, lack of social justice, and the silencing of their voices in politics. They didn’t need traditional leaders or party manifestos; the movement was born out of a single hashtag that spread like wildfire, transforming individual frustration into collective momentum.One of the sharpest contradictions fueling the protests was the billions poured into World Cup-related preparations, while ordinary citizens remained marginalized when it came to healthcare and education.This awareness quickly turned into chants and slogans echoing through the streets: “Dignity begins with schools and hospitals, not with putting on a show for the world.”What set this movement apart was not only its presence on the streets, but also the way it reinvented protest itself:Live filming: Phone cameras revealed events moment by moment, exposing abuses instantly.Memes and satire: A powerful weapon to dismantle authority’s aura, turning complex political discourse into viral, shareable content.Decentralized networks: No leader, no party, just small, fast-moving groups connected online, able to appear and disappear with agility.This generation doesn’t believe in grand speeches or delayed promises. They demand change here and now. Moving seamlessly between the physical and digital realms, they turn the street into a stage of revolt, and Instagram Live into an alternative media outlet.What’s happening in Morocco strongly recalls the Arab Spring of 2011, when young people flooded the streets with the same passion and spontaneity, armed only with belief in their power to spark change. But Gen Z added their own twist, digital tools, meme culture, and the pace of a hyper-connected world.Morocco’s Gen Z uprising is not just another protest, but a living experiment in how a digital generation can redefine politics itself. The spark may fade, but the mark it leaves on young people’s collective consciousness cannot be erased.Photo credits: Mosa’ab Elshamy, Zacaria Garcia, Abdel Majid Bizouat, Marouane Beslem" } , { "title" : "A Shutdown Exposes How Fragile U.S. Governance Really Is", "author" : "EIP Editors", "category" : "", "url" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/readings/a-shutdown-exposes-how-fragile-us-governance-really-is", "date" : "2025-10-01 22:13:00 -0400", "img" : "https://everythingispolitical.com/uploads/EIP_Cover_Gov_ShutDown.jpg", "excerpt" : "Each time the federal government shutters its doors, we hear the same reassurances: essential services will continue, Social Security checks will still arrive, planes won’t fall from the sky. This isn’t the first Governmental shutdown, they’ve happened 22 times since 1976, and their toll is real.", "content" : "Each time the federal government shutters its doors, we hear the same reassurances: essential services will continue, Social Security checks will still arrive, planes won’t fall from the sky. This isn’t the first Governmental shutdown, they’ve happened 22 times since 1976, and their toll is real.Shutdowns don’t mean the government stops functioning. They mean millions of federal workers are asked to keep the system running without pay. Air traffic controllers, border patrol agents, food inspectors — people whose jobs underpin both public safety and economic life — are told their labor matters, but their livelihoods don’t. People have to pay the price of bad bureaucracy in the world’s most powerful country, if governance is stalled, workers must pay with their salaries and their groceries.In 1995 and 1996, clashes between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich triggered two shutdowns totaling 27 days. In 2013, a 16-day standoff over the Affordable Care Act furloughed 850,000 workers. And in 2018–2019, the longest shutdown in U.S. history stretched 35 days, as President Trump refused to reopen the government without funding for a border wall. That impasse left 800,000 federal employees without paychecks and cost the U.S. economy an estimated $11 billion — $3 billion of it permanently lost.More troubling is what happens when crises strike during shutdowns. The United States is living in an age of accelerating climate disasters: historic floods in Vermont, wildfire smoke choking New York, hurricanes pounding Florida. These emergencies do not pause while Congress fights over budgets. Yet a shutdown means furloughed NOAA meteorologists, suspended EPA enforcement, and delayed FEMA programs. In the most climate-vulnerable decade of our lifetimes, we are choosing paralysis over preparedness.This vulnerability didn’t emerge overnight. For decades, the American state has been hollowed out under the logic of austerity and privatization, while military spending has remained sacrosanct. That imbalance is why budgets collapse under the weight of endless resources for war abroad, too few for resilience at home.Shutdowns send a dangerous message. They normalize instability. They tell workers they are disposable. They make clear that in our system, climate resilience and public health aren’t pillars of our democracy but rather insignificant in the face of power and greed. And each time the government closes, it becomes easier to imagine a future where this isn’t the exception but the rule.The United States cannot afford to keep running on shutdown politics. The climate crisis, economic inequality, and the challenges of sustaining democracy itself demand continuity, not collapse. We need a politics that treats stability and resilience not as partisan victories, but as basic commitments to one another. Otherwise, the real shutdown isn’t just of the government — it’s of democracy itself." } ] }