They’re not like us…. The phrase that ignited social media in Sudan

 Activists on social media in Sudan circulated videos of protesters in the area of “Dalagu,” in the Northern state demonstrating against a plan to house displaced persons from Darfur and Kordofan in the region.

The controversy spilled over onto social media platforms in Sudan, where one of the speakers at the protest described their area as a “Blessed land walked upon by Prophets,” adding a phrase many -rightfully- considered to be racist: “How can we accept people who are not like us, whether culturally, from a civilizational perspective, or in terms of social fabric, to live alongside us -in the same place?”

Activists opposed to the protest commented using the hashtag #Sudan_is_for_everyone, arguing that the language of “They’re not like us” is the same language that previously led to the country’s fragmentation. One activist shared on the (X) platform: “It is rather unfortunate that the painful reality of displacement is being met with exclusionary rhetoric within our own country… This threatens what remains of our social bonds.”