Social Media goes #blueforSudan

Mohammed Mattar, 26, is just one of the many protestors shot and killed by the RSF during the sit. Mattar had travelled to Khartoum from London, where he had graduated as an engineer. He was later shot while proecting two women during the protests, according to various reports circulating on social media. 

To cope with the grid, Mattar’s friends began a social media campaign asking people to change their profile prictures to shades of blue in solidarity with protestors’ pro democracy struggle. They say Mattar’s favourite colour was blue and it was the colour he had on his profile picture the day he died. 

Since, a “blue wave” has washed over social media platforms. The colour blue  has come to symbolise all who have lost their lives during the uprising. 

Mattar’s friends changed their profile pictures to blue simply to remember him, not with any intention for the gesture to become the global trending hashtag #blueforsudan. Celebrities like Trevor Jackson and Rihanna have helped the hashtag trend worldwide. 

In the aftermath of the RSF attack, several military officers were arrested and the TMC launched an investigation, admitting wrong doing. 

Protesters however are wary of the TMC’s gesures of reconciliation to resume talks, saying that trust with the TMC is broke after they abused their power in the June 3 dispersal. Instead, protestors have demanded an independent investigation into massacre. 

Award winning Sudanese filmmaker, Hajooj Kuka “Beats of the Antonov”, took part in the sit in and was also wounded. He said “the reports of mass rapes are true and consistent with what we have been seeing on the ground,” to city press. 

The TMC continues to hold onto power, the financial aid from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the amount of $3 billion. 

The 12 day shut down has made it difficult for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and other protests on social media, but protests in Khartoum and the city of Port Sudan continued as of Friday, June 14, through word of mouth and SMS messages. These to, have been met with ammunition and brute force.