A day after announcing agreement on key elements of a deal to hand power over to a civilian government led by the opposition Freedom and Change Forces, Sudan’s Transitional Military Council abruptly suspended negotiations and sent soldiers to clear barricades in the capital by force. According to international news agencies, military units used gunfire “extensively”…
Strike action, sit-ins and protests by organised workers are powering the popular uprisings in Algeria and Sudan today. In both countries thousands of workers are mobilising in support of the mass movements for democratic change and social justice – and to demand trade union rights and the freedom to organise. Solidarity is crucial and trade…
By Ameen Nemer The Saudi regime executed 37 people on 23 April 2019, following grossly unfair trials for various alleged crimes, including terrorism, spying and rebelling against the ruler. The Specialized Criminal Court convicted at least 21 based on forced confessions. Of the 37 executed, 33 were Shia and 6 of them were convicted of…
Read our new briefing on the role of teachers in the mass movements for change in the Middle East, prepared for the NEU teachers’ union conference just before Easter. Download a printable version of this leaflet Teachers_MENA_2019. Teachers on the frontline of the struggle for change As a new wave of popular protests and uprisings…
Rank-and-file trade unionists and the leaders of key regions of Algeria’s largest union federation, the UGTA, have called a rally on Wednesday 17 April demanding the immediate resignation of Federation General Secretary Sidi Said, a staunch supporter of the old regime. Said has already announced that he has no intention of seeking re-election, but activists…
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which has been the main organiser of the 3-month popular uprising in Sudan, has rejected the attempt by the military high command to seize power for a “transitional period”. Dictator Omar el Bashir’s rule came to a formal end on 11 April after the Minister of Defence, Awad Ibn Awf…
Protests and strikes demanding the new ‘transitional’ president Abdelkader Bensalah follow Bouteflika out of office are gathering pace across Algeria. On the railways, in the ports, government offices, schools, universities and across large swathes of manufacturing, workers are walking out or going into occupation in solidarity with the continuing demonstrations in major cities demanding that…
By Oisin Challen Flynn and Anne Alexander Tens of thousands of protesters converged on Sudan’s ministry of Defence on Saturday 6 April, demanding that the army step in to remove dictator Omar el-Bashir from power. In a dramatic escalation of the mass movement which has gripped the country with regular demonstrations since December 2018, protesters…
As Algerians celebrate the departure of Abdelaziz Bouteflika after 20 years in power, following the announcement of his resignation on 2 April, Middle East Solidarity spoke to Algerian human rights activist Rachid Aouine about what’s next for the mass popular movement. “Algerians know very well that Bouteflika wasn’t really the one in charge, he was…
For the sixth week in a row, hundreds of Algerian activists from around the UK joined lively protests in central London in solidarity with the unfolding mass movement in Algeria. After rallying at Marble Arch, they marched down Oxford Street flanked by a convoy of mopeds carrying banners and Algerian flags. Crisis has gripped the…
By Mehdi Rafiq Fifty-five thousand teachers on temporary contracts took to the streets on Rabat on Saturday 23 March. The National Contract Teachers’ Coordination Committee mobilised the protest order to demand an end to casualisation and the transfer of all teachers to a secure and permanent status as employees of the Ministry of Education. The…
Around 400 Algerians joined a lively protest in Trafalgar Square on 16 March in solidarity with the mass movement in Algeria which is demanding an end to Bouteflika’s rule. Waving flags and chanting, the protesters gathered in front of the National Gallery. “Dear USA, there is no oil left so stay away unless you want…
