Let them eat cake, so Marie Antoinette of France said in 1843, when peasants were protesting against lack of bread.
And this week, Sudan President Omar al Bashir told his people to eat cake. Bashir on Monday said his government would introduce measures to remedy the economy and “provide citizens with a dignified life”. This from a President who has been in power since 1989, when he got in through a military coup. There have been protests since last Wednesday, initially over rising prices and shortage of food and fuel, but these have since escalated to calls for Bashir to leave office.
Consequently, the feared and brutal Sudan security forces have responded with the brutality and inhumanity that is expected of them, anyway. Amnesty International reports that at least 37 people had been killed in the protests by Boxing Day. According to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday, the number could be higher as new protesters have been killed.
Media stations have been raided and journalists arrested. This is a repeat of what happened in January, when there were similar protests in Khartoum. The journalists were reporting for the AFP and Reuters.
In Uganda, the Boxing Day concert of musician and legislator Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, was stopped by police for … well, they didn’t really need a reason. Earlier in the year, Bobi Wine was arrested, detained and tortured. This led to protests demanding his release, in which some lives were lost, scores injured and about 100 locked up. Journalists were clobbered.
Here in Kenya, following the controversial 2017 presidential elections, 37 people died (35 killed by police) and 126 were injured between August 9 and 15, 2017. This was according to a report released in October by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
In the DRC, a UN human rights report released in March showed security forces killed at least 47 people during anti-government protests over a 13-month period through January 31.
While there is no absolute international or national right to protest, this right is covered under freedom of assembly, association and speech. And while restrictions to protest have been in existence as long as governments have, it makes no sense to unleash brutality on the people.
This behaviour by African governments is inherited from the colonial state. The police was not formed to protect the people, but those in power and their interests. That has not changed much, despite so-called reforms.
I don’t expect miraculous reforms in security forces in the New Year, but the killings and brutality must not be repeated or tolerated.
Happy New Year smart people!
Kibii comments on current and international affairs
