Witnessing the Birth of a Revolution
Al Jazeera.net painted the whole picture, showing the world how the Sudanese people staged sit-ins and seized every occasion to maintain the momentum of their revolution. Soon after it had begun, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) jumped on the bandwagon and took the lead, steering it under the slogan ‘Freedom, Peace & Justice’. The fledgling political entity, which was once doubted by many, led rallies towards the Presidential Palace demanding the president step down. That goal was achieved on April 11, 2019. Al Jazeera dissected the SPA in depth, producing a report titled ‘An Inspiring Leader’ to tell the world all about it. Al Jazeera covered all of the milestones in the revolution and beyond. From the million-man march to the negotiations between the Forces of Freedom and Change and the Military Council, Al Jazeera was always in the thick of it – second by second, minute by minute, recording the pulse of the people and telling the story as it happened. We documented in words as well as images how the Sudanese people harvested the fruits of their revolution; signing the transition-to-democracy agreement. We carried their voice to the world; something many told me they were grateful for.
Witnessing the Birth of a Revolution Ahmed Fadel | Al Jazeera Net Reporter - Sudan
Being able to anticipate what will happen is an art mastered by few journalists, but in December 2018 Al Jazeera’s editorial department did just that. I had only just started working for Al Jazeera.net as a freelance correspondent in Sudan when, sensing that something was brewing in the country, our colleague Shamail Al Noor pitched that we cover the transportation crisis. The department suggested we go further and report on all of the problems the country was facing – from the price of bread to the price of fuel, the currency crisis to the cooking gas crisis.
We were miles ahead of other journalists in doing so and our report aired on December 12, 2018. Seven days later, the revolution was sparked in the city of Atbara, when the headquarters of the ruling party were torched. Not only was I living through the toppling of a 30-year dictatorship, I was reporting on it. As the revolution ignited, everyone wanted to know what had triggered people’s anger and made thousands of Sudanese take to the streets.
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