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  World   Africa  14 Jun 2019  Hashtags for hope? The reason why social media is turning blue for Sudan

Hashtags for hope? The reason why social media is turning blue for Sudan

DECCAN CHRONICLE
Published : Jun 14, 2019, 6:13 pm IST
Updated : Jun 15, 2019, 11:00 am IST

Netizens are changing their profile pictures to blue with hashtag #BlueforSudan.

This hashtag was picked up by a large number of people and influencers and is gaining momentum. (Photo: Twitter I Ola_Mahdi132)
 This hashtag was picked up by a large number of people and influencers and is gaining momentum. (Photo: Twitter I Ola_Mahdi132)

Mumbai: It's hard to ignore the recent trend which can be seen on social media with regards to the protests in Sudan.

Netizens are changing their profile pictures to blue with hashtag #BlueforSudan. This movement was mainly started in honour of one of the victims, Mohamed Mattar.

According to Al Jazeera, Matar was an engineer and his favourite colour was reportedly blue.

A crackdown occurred on June 3 on protestors by Rapid Support Forces(RSF) which is led by Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council during which Matar was allegedly shot.

Matar was reportedly trying to protect two women during bloody dispersal of the protest camp when he was shot outside the military headquarters.

Shahd Khidir, beauty influencer and Matar's friend, reportedly said that Matar's relatives first changed their profile pictures to blue to match his.

"Eventually other people began to join," she said. Now it represents all of the Sudanese people who have fallen during the uprising.

Sudanese people had been protesting for months to overthrow ruler Omar al-Bashir to give way for a civilian government. But despite Bashir's removal on April 11, protestors kept pressing hard for a civilian rule, until the crackdown.

The military rulers have cut down people's internet access leaving people detached from the outside world.

With no internet, the Sudanese are being cut off unable to communicate with the rest of the world. This comes in as a challenge for them.

One more hashtag which trended was #IAmTheSudanRevloution. It was endorsed by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the group which has lead the protests.

This hashtag was picked up by a large number of people and influencers and is gaining momentum.

This revolution is allowing the people of Sudan to control their narrative by answering them questions.

#BlueforSudan has brought hope among the people of the Sudanese community.

Tags: #blueforsudan, #iamthesudanrevolution, mohammad matar
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