Three Killed In Sudan As Thousands Protest Against Military
By AFP News
01/06/22
Sudanese security forces shot dead three protesters on Thursday during the latest mass demonstrations demanding a transition to civilian rule after a coup, medics said.
The latest killings bring to 60 the death toll in a security clampdown since the October 25 military takeover, said the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, which is part of the pro-democracy movement.
One of the slain demonstrators took a "live bullet to the head by the putschist forces as he took part in demonstrations" in the capital's twin city of Omdurman, the doctors said.
The second, who also has not been identified, "was hit by a live bullet to the pelvis" during the Omdurman protests while the third was killed in North Khartoum due to "live bullets to the chest," they added.
Main developments in Sudan since the October coup. Photo: AFP / Gal ROMAThe medics also counted more than 300 wounded including by live rounds, rubber bullets, and other injuries due to the persistent firing of tear gas.
Their deaths came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed on Twitter for Sudanese security forces to "cease using lethal force against demonstrators".
Authorities have regularly denied using live rounds in confronting protests.
Singing, beating drums, and holding up posters of others killed in demonstrations since the military takeover, protesters in the capital Khartoum shouted defiant slogans against the army.
WOMAN AND YOUTH LEAD THE PROTESTS
The military takeover has seen security forces launch a crackdown against protesters that has left at least 57 people dead Photo: AFP
Many protesters in Khartoum were seen wounded and struggling with breathing difficulties due to the heavy firing of tear gas, according to the witnesses.
Demonstrators remain undeterred by the risks, which on November 17 saw 15 protesters shot dead in the bloodiest day so far.
"We will not stop until we get our country back," shouted one protester, Samar al-Tayeb, 22.
Other demonstrators set fire to tyres to create burning barricades on the streets.
Many protesters in Khartoum were seen wounded and struggling with breathing difficulties due to the heavy firing of tear gas, according to the witnesses.
Demonstrators remain undeterred by the risks, which on November 17 saw 15 protesters shot dead in the bloodiest day so far.
"We will not stop until we get our country back," shouted one protester, Samar al-Tayeb, 22.
Other demonstrators set fire to tyres to create burning barricades on the streets.
Protesters set fire to tyres to create burning barricades Photo: AFP
Crowds were marching towards the presidential palace in Khartoum when security forces fired volleys of tear gas that formed thick and choking clouds, witnesses said.
Protesters hurled back stones at security forces, they added.
"Our marches will continue until we restore our revolution and our civilian government, even if martyrs fall among us," said Mojataba Hussein, a 23-year-old protester.
Copyright AFP. All rights reserved.
Crowds were marching towards the presidential palace in Khartoum when security forces fired volleys of tear gas that formed thick and choking clouds, witnesses said.
Protesters hurled back stones at security forces, they added.
"Our marches will continue until we restore our revolution and our civilian government, even if martyrs fall among us," said Mojataba Hussein, a 23-year-old protester.
Sudanese protesters rallying against the military walk past burning tyres in the capital Khartoum on January 6, 2021 Photo: AFP
The power grab by military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was one of several in Sudan's post-independence history. It dismantled a precarious power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians established in the wake of the April 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
The protests on Thursday came days after prime minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned, leaving the military fully in charge. Hamdok had been held under house arrest for weeks following the coup, before being reinstated in a November 21 deal after international pressure.
The protest movement called the November pact a "betrayal" for providing what they said was a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup, and kept up its rallies.
When Hamdok stepped down on Sunday, he said Sudan was at a "dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival".
Western nations say the solution is dialogue, a point made in a tweet Wednesday by Blinken who urged "an immediate, Sudanese-led, and internationally facilitated dialogue."
Demonstrations on Thursday again took place in other cities as well as the capital, witnesses said.
"The authority is that of the people," protesters chanted in Wad Madani, demanding soldiers "go back to the barracks".
In Atbara, protesters called on Burhan to "hand over the country's keys and leave," witnesses said.
Crowds in the central state of North Kordofan chanted "No, no to military rule" while waving and draped in the national flag.
Others took to the streets in Central and South Darfur states, according to witnesses.
On Tuesday the United States, European Union, Britain and Norway warned the military against naming their own successor to Hamdok, saying that without involvement of "a broad range of civilian stakeholders" such a move could plunge the country into conflict.
On Thursday, state-media quoted Burhan's media adviser Taher Abouhaga as saying, in an apparent reference to the absence of a government: "The void must be filled in the least possible time."
Web monitoring group NetBlocks said the mobile internet was cut from mid-morning Thursday, and wider internet access and phone lines were also disrupted, a tactic repeatedly used in an attempt to disrupt activists.
The power grab by military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was one of several in Sudan's post-independence history. It dismantled a precarious power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians established in the wake of the April 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
The protests on Thursday came days after prime minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned, leaving the military fully in charge. Hamdok had been held under house arrest for weeks following the coup, before being reinstated in a November 21 deal after international pressure.
The protest movement called the November pact a "betrayal" for providing what they said was a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan's coup, and kept up its rallies.
When Hamdok stepped down on Sunday, he said Sudan was at a "dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival".
Western nations say the solution is dialogue, a point made in a tweet Wednesday by Blinken who urged "an immediate, Sudanese-led, and internationally facilitated dialogue."
Demonstrations on Thursday again took place in other cities as well as the capital, witnesses said.
"The authority is that of the people," protesters chanted in Wad Madani, demanding soldiers "go back to the barracks".
In Atbara, protesters called on Burhan to "hand over the country's keys and leave," witnesses said.
Crowds in the central state of North Kordofan chanted "No, no to military rule" while waving and draped in the national flag.
Others took to the streets in Central and South Darfur states, according to witnesses.
On Tuesday the United States, European Union, Britain and Norway warned the military against naming their own successor to Hamdok, saying that without involvement of "a broad range of civilian stakeholders" such a move could plunge the country into conflict.
On Thursday, state-media quoted Burhan's media adviser Taher Abouhaga as saying, in an apparent reference to the absence of a government: "The void must be filled in the least possible time."
Web monitoring group NetBlocks said the mobile internet was cut from mid-morning Thursday, and wider internet access and phone lines were also disrupted, a tactic repeatedly used in an attempt to disrupt activists.
Copyright AFP. All rights reserved.
Sudan: Anti-coup protests turn deadly
At least three people have been killed in Sudan after authorities fired at anti-coup protesters. Thousands of people have taken to the streets again to show their anger at a military takeover in October.
Protesters in Khartoum were wounded and struggling to breathe due to the firing of tear gas, according to witnesses
Sudanese security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at anti-coup protesters, killing at least three people and injuring some 300, witnesses told reporters on Thursday. Thousands of people marched on the streets in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities to protest the October military coup.
Crackdowns on demonstrations since the coup have now left at least 60 people dead and many more injured, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee.
Authorities have regularly denied using live rounds in confronting protests, a statement international groups dispute.
Thursday's deaths came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed on Twitter for Sudanese security forces to "cease using lethal force against demonstrators & commit to an independent investigation."
What happened in the latest anti-coup protests?
In Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum, two protesters were killed, while in the Sudanese capital's district of Bahri, one demonstrator was shot and killed, according to activist Nazim Sirag and the Sudan Doctors Committee.
Sirag said one of the fatalities in Omdurman was a man who was shot in the head and died before reaching the hospital. Many more were wounded, including by gunshots, the activist and the committee said.
Demonstrations also took place in Wad Madani, Atbara, the central state of North Kordofan and in the Central and South Darfur states, according to witnesses.
"We will not stop until we get our country back," Samar al-Tayeb, 22, told the AFP news agency.
Though the mobile internet was cut from mid-morning, some live videos posted on social media showed protesters waving Sudanese flags and chanting, "Power to the people!" and "The military belongs in the barracks!" Other images also showed clouds of tear gas and protesters throwing stones and empty tear gas canisters at security forces.
Demonstrators set fire to tires and carried banners calling for civilian rule in Sudan
Why are the Sudanese protesting?
Pro-democracy activists have maintained momentum on the streets for their movement against the October 25 coup, when the military deposed civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Forces held him under house arrest for weeks.
Military leaders have justified the coup as a "correction" necessary to stabilize the country for civilian rule. They also said peaceful protests were permitted and that they would hold to account anyone responsible for civilian casualties.
In November, the US sealed a partnership deal with Hamdok. It saw him reinstated with elections promised for 2023, though his credibility took a blow in the process. After failing to reach a compromise between the military and the pro-democracy movement, Hamdok resigned earlier this week.
When he stepped down, he said Sudan was at a "dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival."
The military takeover came more than two years after an uprising forced longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government out of office in April 2019.
Protesters have called for the military to return power to civilians.
Pro-democracy activists have maintained momentum on the streets for their movement against the October 25 coup, when the military deposed civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Forces held him under house arrest for weeks.
Military leaders have justified the coup as a "correction" necessary to stabilize the country for civilian rule. They also said peaceful protests were permitted and that they would hold to account anyone responsible for civilian casualties.
In November, the US sealed a partnership deal with Hamdok. It saw him reinstated with elections promised for 2023, though his credibility took a blow in the process. After failing to reach a compromise between the military and the pro-democracy movement, Hamdok resigned earlier this week.
When he stepped down, he said Sudan was at a "dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival."
The military takeover came more than two years after an uprising forced longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government out of office in April 2019.
Protesters have called for the military to return power to civilians.
Pro-democracy demonstrations have taken place in Sudan since an October military coup
sms/rt (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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