By Ahmed Sharma
Residents in San Antonio, Texas gathered Sunday evening in Travis Park to stand in solidarity with the fallen victims in the ongoing protests in Sudan. Across the United States, people stood in solidarity with the Sudanese protestors and San Antonio was no different.
Laila Eltigani, the organizer of the vigil, said this event was to create a space for people who have lost loved ones in Sudan and raise awareness for what is happening there. During the vigil, she took some time to address the crowd and explain the current situation in Sudan.
“There is no justice at all. There are human rights being violated every day,” Eltigani said. “People were scared to speak out, but now they have no choice.” She held back tears as she explained the immeasurable number of people have fallen due to the regime. “I wish I could give you an exact number of how many killed. But I can only give you a hundred names,” she said.
Sudan has been without Internet for four weeks now since the country erupted in protests against the 30-year rule of President Omar al-Bashir . This means that many U.S. residents, including here in San Antonio, are unable to maintain contact with family members in Sudan. News has managed to spread however, of some people being killed despite peaceful protests. “Today marks 28 days since the internet has been cut off,” Eltigani said. “And if you can imagine everything that goes on, you can understand. People are unable to communicate with the outside world what is happening with Sudan.”
Last December, San Antonio residents protested against the regime in Sudan to show solidarity.
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