Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the following statement ahead of planned protests in Sudan on June 30, 2019, which are being held to pressure the military junta to transition power to a civilian government, and also to mark the anniversary of the Islamist-backed coup that brought Omar al-Bashir to power 30 years ago:
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"It has been nearly one month since the violent eradication of a peaceful protest camp outside of Sudan's military headquarters in Khartoum, resulting in more than 100 deaths and hundreds more injured at the hands of the brutal Rapid Support Forces. As we approach the 30th anniversary of Sudan's Islamist-backed coup and the expiration of the 60-day timeline given by the African Union for Sudan's military council to handover power to a civilian-led authority, the country's military leadership should no longer put self interest above that of Sudanese citizens. I urge peace on all sides of the June 30th protests, and will be following them closely."
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