For a brief moment, it appeared as though people power had won the day in Sudan.

Key points: The military seized power and cut access to the internet after Omar al-Bashir's fall

The military seized power and cut access to the internet after Omar al-Bashir's fall They have denied protesters' calls to hand over power to civilians

They have denied protesters' calls to hand over power to civilians Australia's Sudanese diaspora have called on Canberra to do more as violence escalates

Months of peaceful civilian protests had culminated in April in the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's general-turned-dictator who ruled the north African country with an iron fist since 1989.

The deposed leader, who remains wanted in the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, lost the support of the country's military who had previously helped him quash non-violent protests throughout his 30-year rule.

But in the weeks afterward, things didn't go as planned. The military seized power and refused to hand it over to civilians.

Osama Mohamed was granted an Australian visa days before Sudan was embroiled in conflict in late 2018. ( ABC News: Alan Weedon )

"We got to feel free for a couple of weeks, but it is worse now," said Osama Mohamed, a Sudanese-born political activist who moved to Australia in late 2018 — just days before Sudan's most recent protests erupted.

"We've moved from an ideological regime to a tribal-led one — we've gone back 400 years."

Sudanese Australians find themselves forced to watch on as chaos unfolds in their homeland, while at the same time battling stereotypes fuelled by those who accuse the community's refugees and children of being violent gang members.

Alongside supporters, members of Australia's Sudanese diaspora took to Australian capitals in protest over the weekend, calling on Scott Morrison's Government to step up its efforts to pressure Sudan to transition to democracy.

Sudanese Australians gathered in cities around the country on Saturday wearing #BlueForSudan. ( Supplied: Alaa Gaffer )

From scenes of jubilation to accusations of mass rape

Sudan remains embroiled in a stoush between protesters and its self-appointed military rulers, known as the Transitional Military Council (TMC).

Former president Omar al-Bashir, centre, was overthrown after 30 years in power. ( AP: Mahmoud Hjaj )

The TMC filled the power vacuum and cut access to the internet after Mr Bashir's fall.

They have denied protesters' calls to hand over power to civilians, despite promising to do so initially.

In recent weeks, scenes of jubilation were replaced by allegations of civilian shootings and mass rapes committed by forces loyal to the military.

The opposition-linked Central Committee of Sudan Doctors reported that around 120 people had been killed in early June. Some 40 bodies were found dumped in the Nile River.

The military-controlled health ministry has put the death toll at 61.

The TMC officially admitted that it unleashed a crackdown against protesters, saying it regretted that "some mistakes happened" but insisted "that the military is the sole guarantor for peace and stability in the transitional phase".

The violence, which has been compared to the Tiananmen Square massacre in China and the Rabaa killings in Egypt, has allegedly largely been carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a TMC militia whose fighters are accused of killing hundreds of thousands of civilians in an attempted genocide in Darfur, a western region of the country.

Protesters like Mazin Bashir took to the streets of Khartoum to demand a transition to civilian rule. ( Supplied: Mazin Bashir )

Activist Mazin Bashir, a co-organiser of Melbourne's protest last Saturday, recently returned to Australia from Sudan, where he participated in the peaceful protests for four months.

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He told the ABC that security forces "fired rubber bullets and tear gas" while he was engaged in a sit-in protest, where people sat and assembled peace signs.

The ABC was unable to independently verify his claims, but they are consistent with reports of attacks in Sudan.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) — the trade union spearheading the pro-democracy movement — has continued calls for a nationwide campaign of "total civil disobedience", urging their compatriots to stop working, paying taxes, filling up phone credit or buying petrol.

For those looking at the violence abroad, change is needed now more than ever.

"It's about survival now, it's about saving our country," Imam Mohamed, a member of a Sudanese-Australian youth group, told the ABC.

'Because of this regime I am here in Australia'

From the late 1990s onward, thousands of Sudanese fled seeking refuge in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada as the Second Sudanese Civil War — overseen by overthrown president Mr Bashir — intensified.

Between 1 million and 2 million civilians died between 1983 and 2005 as a result of the war — fought between the country's Islamic north and the largely Christian and animist south.

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces stand accused of torching villages across Darfur, in western Sudan. ( UNAMID: Mubarak Bako )

In the early 2000s, migrants from Sudan formed one of Australia's fastest-growing migrant groups, peaking between 2002 and 2007.

Sudan was partitioned in 2011, losing its oil-rich south with the creation of the world's newest country, South Sudan.

The split brought an end to a drawn-out conflict between disparate ethnic and religious communities.

Sudan's Second Civil War forced people to flee to countries like Australia well beyond 2005. ( EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations: Lars Oberhaus )

But in recent years, both Australia's Sudanese and South Sudanese migrant groups have been tarred with allegations of contributing to an "African gangs" problem, a charge led most famously by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who claimed in 2018 that Melburnians were "scared to go out to restaurants of a night time" as a result of the purported issue.

His comments came during a period where Melbourne had experienced a number of crimes alleged to have been committed by people of African descent.

The newly appointed Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Jason Wood, has also used his Facebook page to regularly denounce "African youth gangs" and "violent foreign-born thugs".

Sarah Yasir, a student based in Melbourne who attended the protest, told the ABC that Sudan's pro-democracy movement dispels stereotypes about "Africans, black people and Muslims".

"For the first time in 30 years people from around Sudan came to Khartoum for this revolution — that's a sign of love, resilience [and] unity."

Sarah Yasir, centre right, says Sudan's pro-democracy movement dispels stereotypes about Africa. ( ABC News: Alan Weedon )

But for other democracy advocates, the fight for freedom is fraught.

Mohammad Abbas Altayeb, who has been in Australia since 2013, told the ABC he faced death and jail if he stayed in Sudan, "as has happened to all brothers, all family".

"Because of this regime I am here in Australia," he said.

When the ABC spoke with Mr Altayeb he had not spoken to his wife and parents in Khartoum for more than a week.

"It's too hard for us, thinking too much," he said.

'There's been more coverage of Notre Dame'

Yakub Ogunsina, centre, told the ABC that media coverage on alleged atrocities in Sudan has been minimal. ( ABC News: Alan Weedon )

Sudan's internet connection has been offline since the start of June, but on Sunday a Khartoum court ordered one internet provider to restore access.

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Amira Osman, a Sudanese-born professor of architecture in South Africa, told the ABC that the global Sudanese diaspora had since been tasked with raising the alarm.

"There are numerous groups of Sudanese, inside and outside the country, that have vowed to keep the dreams of those that died to continue the revolution," she said.

Social media has gone #BlueForSudan, with celebrities, politicians and businesses showing solidarity with the protesters.

In Australia, some believe there needs to be more awareness of the situation, including Yakub Ogunsina, a Melburnian who attended the city's Sudanese pro-democracy protest.

"As far as I've noticed, there's been more coverage of Notre Dame," Mr Ogusina said.

He added that the media's focus on the country's pro-democracy unrest had paled in comparison to coverage of Sudanese-Australian crime.

Australia called to 'condemn the massacre'

Activist Mazim Bashir wants the Australian Government to pressure Khartoum. ( ABC News: Alan Weedon )

But as the violence continues in Khartoum, representatives of Australia's Sudanese community have resolved to do more, which includes calling on the Senate to "condemn the massacre and continuing attacks".

Sydney-based Sudanese asylum seeker Abdullah Khalil said that members of the Sudanese community had sent a letter to the Senate to demand that the Sudanese military immediately hand power over to civilians.

The letter asked Australia to "suspend all diplomatic relations with the Sudanese ambassador, Ibrahim Awad El-Baroudi, a representative of the ruling Islamic fundamentalist military regime, which is responsible for the massacre and human rights abuses".

Sydney-based Sudanese asylum seeker Abdullah Khalil is calling on the Senate to help the pro-democracy movement. ( Supplied: Muhammad Abbas )

Members of the community will also meet with senators in Canberra next month to voice their concerns.

During the weekend protests, Mr Bashir told the ABC that "the Australian Government — and the international community as a whole — should pressure [the] Sudanese Government to step down".

"[Canberra] needs to pressure other countries that are giving Sudan money and weapons to stop," he said.

When contacted by the ABC, a spokesperson from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) condemned the violent attacks by Sudanese security services on civilian protesters and said they "should refrain from any further violence against civilians".

"The Australian Government believes a genuinely democratic Sudan is the best way to provide stability and economic prosperity to the Sudanese people," they added.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 6 minutes 59 seconds 6 m Sudan's autocratic neighbours want protests to fail. ( The World )

The United States has urged a transition to democracy, but observers believe that Sudan's autocratic neighbours want the protests to fail.

"Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt are very much for the military's continued leadership and dominance of Sudan," David Kiwuwa, an associate professor in international relations at the University of Nottingham, told the ABC's The World program.

But many Sudanese — abroad and at home — remain optimistic for change despite the military's iron grip on power.

"Until December, you had to be a politician or activist in order to be active in politics. From December onwards, you only had to be Sudanese," youth group member Mr Mohamed said.