From the Bay Area to East Africa: Sudanese Community Stands in Solidarity of the Revolution

It was around 1 in the afternoon when I arrived to the rally being held in solidarity with protesters in Sudan. A crowd had already gathered, chanting demands for Freedom and Justice in Arabic. On December 19th, protests began to kick off in the nation's capital of Khartoum over a sharp increase in the prices of bread and gasoline. This however was simply the catalyst for what would quickly become one the East African country's largest uprisings in history.

Protests quickly spread and escalated around various regions surrounding the capital, resulting in violent state repression. Police have been firing tear gas as well as live ammunition, claiming the lives of more than 30 protesters so far, according to Human Rights Watch.

In SF, the Sudanese Association of Northern California organized a rally to be held in front of City Hall, holding up banners and signs that read "Stop Killing Innocent Protesters" and "Freedom, Justice and Equality for Sudan," and demanding an end to a brutal, despotic regime. Bringing vibrant energies to the crowd were the many youth who ranged in age from elementary school, teenagers and young adults who chanted in English, shouting "1..2..3..4, Al-Bashīr has got to go!"

Chanting was followed by short speeches given in Arabic, which I could not fully comprehend, essentially however being tied to a single shared sentiment-that the regime must fall.

Demonstrators, mostly youth, took to the streets for a moment in a small crowd of a few dozen or so. Walking across the street towards Civic Center and briefly foraying down Market Street, the crowd continued to chant while displaying signs, banners and the Sudanese flag at the very forefront of the crowd.

Protesters in Sudan continue to be met with harsh state repression, with many activists, journalists and political leaders being detained.