At least one killed in Sudan protests against military rulers
Sudanese security forces killed a protester in the capital, Khartoum, an independent group of medics has said, as thousands of people took to the streets to reject military rule and demand the release of prisoners.
Share It :
Demonstrators in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman also demanded the release of several political figures and pro-democracy activists arrested amid a crackdown on opposition groups.
“A male protester whose identity is yet to be known, has been killed by a cartridge in the neck & chest, fired by security forces while participating in Monday’s anti-coup march in Khartoum city,” the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said in a statement on Monday.
The latest death takes the number of civilians killed in the crackdown since last year’s coup to at least 80, it added.
The military and police say they allow peaceful protest, that members of the security forces have had to defend themselves, and that casualties are being investigated.
Regular mass protests have rocked the troubled northeast African nation since the coup. The power grab derailed a fragile power-sharing agreement between the army and civilians negotiated after the 2019 ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir, and despite international pressure, authorities have shown little inclination to compromise, as arrests of civilian leaders have proliferated lately.
Protesters say they have been demanding “no negotiation with the military, no compromise, and that the military should return to the barracks”, Morgan said.
In Omdurman, protesters had planned to march to the legislative assembly to “show the military that they want a civilian government”.
Protests also took place in the eastern city of Port Sudan and in the western Darfur region, according to witnesses.
In Khartoum, protesters carried Sudanese flags and red balloons as well as banners that read: “Today is the nation’s love day” as the rallies coincided with Valentine’s Day.
Since the coup, authorities have arrested dozens of activists who belong to so-called resistance committees that have been instrumental in organizing protests.
