Sudan Protesters Mark Eid Al-Adha at Anti-army Sit-in


Sudanese protesters take part in an anti-military sit-in in the capital Khartoum on Saturday, the Eid al-Adha holiday ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP

Asharq Al-Awsat
Sunday, 10 July, 2022 - 

Sudanese protesters celebrated Eid al-Adha among barricades on Saturday during a sit-in against military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his October coup.

Protesters have continued to press the army chief to resign, days after he vowed to make way for a civilian government -- an offer quickly rejected by the country's main civilian umbrella group as a "ruse".

Burhan's surprise move has been met with wide skepticism, and pro-democracy groups announced on Thursday the formation of a "revolutionary council" as protests held firm, AFP reported.

The sit-in continued in the capital's twin city of Omdurman Saturday, as an imam took over the microphone usually reserved for protest chants to deliver the Eid sermon.

Protester Ibrahim al-Haj told AFP after the prayer that demonstrators hope to show that "no matter what is happening in the country, our message is ongoing".

Burhan led a coup in October that derailed a transition to civilian rule, unleashing near-weekly protests and prompting key donors to freeze much-needed funding, sending Sudan deeper into economic crisis.

The protests against Burhan were reinvigorated on June 30, when tens of thousands gathered and nine people were killed by security forces, according to pro-democracy medics.

A total of 114 people have been killed in the crackdown by security forces against protesters since the October coup, the medics say.

Worshippers on Saturday held up flags showing the faces of protesters killed in the crackdown.

"We are committed to the martyrs' rights," Haj told AFP. "We are not going to forget our martyrs even for a day, no matter what."