Rihanna is using her platform to advocate for victims of the massacre in Sudan.

The fashion mogul and pop icon shared information with her 72 million followers on Instagram about the human rights violations currently taking place in Sudan. The world's wealthiest woman in music urges her followers to get informed and share the information in the midst of an internet blackout.

“They're shooting people's houses, raping women, burning bodies, throwing them in the Nile like vermin, tormenting people, urinating on them, making them drink sewage water, terrorizing the streets, and stopping Muslims from going to eid prayer. There is an Internet blackout! Please share. Raise awareness," she stated via Instagram story.

View this post on Instagram

#PrayersUp: #Rihanna speaks on the #SudanMassacre! Currently, peaceful Sudanese protestors are being killed as they urge for a democratic government. Please keep the people of Sudan in your thoughts and prayers, #Roommates ????????

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Jun 11, 2019 at 10:01am PDT

The people of Sudan have advocated for a civilian-backed government through peaceful protest and demonstration for years. The peaces protests have instead been met with a military junta. Over 100 civilians have been killed by government forces. Hundreds of people have been beaten, sexually assaulted, arrested, and detained. People are afraid for their lives.

Activists in Sudan have launched a campaign of civil disobedience by closing down markets and hospitals in an attempt to put pressure on the transitional military council

Social media has played a significant role in the spread of information and diplomatic developments in Sudan. The U.K. ambassador to Sudan, Irfan Siddiq, demanded the release of protest leaders in Sudan.

Many are citing Rihanna’s Instagram story as an example of the power social media has in the political realm.

Rihanna reposting a tweet by a non-Sudanese, about the current conditions in Sudan, shows the power social media has in raising awareness

— #IAmTheSudanRevolution (@alllthingssam) June 11, 2019

Best thing to happen to all of us today is when Rihanna posted about sudan. Can she be our president next?

— #مدنية_بس (@rawansalah__) June 11, 2019

civil-disobedience

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week