This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
On July 3, 2019, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged Sudanese authorities to ensure a swift transition to a civilian government, as desired by large segments of the population and the African Union.
Mass protests across Sudan on Sunday, June 30, 2019, appeared to be 'unprecedented in recent Sudanese history', despite the difficulty of monitoring the situation due to an internet blackout imposed by the Transitional Military Council.
The protests reportedly took place in more than ten major towns and cities, with allegations of excessive use of force against protesters, resulting in at least 10 deaths.
Bachelet called on the Transitional Military Council to lift restrictions on the internet and to investigate all allegations of excessive use of force, including reported attacks on hospitals by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and other security forces.
'This recipe of restrictions, unmet promises, and bouts of unbridled violence which are neither investigated nor punished is stoking massive resentment – as Sunday's protests showed all too clearly,' she said in a statement.
She also warned that if things continued like this, it would be a 'recipe for disaster.'
