The U.S. Embassy in Sudan urged its staff on Sunday to exercise caution, anticipating large protests in Khartoum and other cities to commemorate the third anniversary of the uprising that ousted the former regime under Omar al-Bashir. In a statement published on its official Twitter account, the embassy advised employees to work from home and avoid going out into the streets.
The statement also requested that individuals refrain from heading to the airport after 1 PM unless it is an extreme necessity. Many Sudanese are preparing to take to the streets to protest against the military's grip on power, according to Agence France-Presse. Following the "October 25 coup" led by Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which resulted in the repression of protests leading to 45 deaths and hundreds of injuries, organizations that sparked the uprising against al-Bashir aim to mobilize 45 million Sudanese living under inflation reaching 300 percent, this time against the military.
On December 19, 2018, after al-Bashir dramatically raised the price of bread threefold, Sudanese citizens took to the streets demanding the regime's downfall, leading the military to oust him four months later. Sudanese chose this date because it marks the anniversary of Sudan's independence from dual British rule in 1955. The protests are expected to take to the streets under the slogan "No Partnership, No Negotiation" with the military.
