Violence continues in Khartoum amid outcry over shootings that killed 15
▶ Protesters under fire a day after Sudan is struck by deadliest clashes since military takeover
Clashes between police and demonstrators continued on Thursday in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, a day after at least 15 protesters were shot dead by security forces.
The bloodbath on Wednesday marked the deadliest day since the military seized power last month.
Police used tear gas to disperse scores of protesters who had stayed on the streets of Khartoum overnight, unfazed by intensifying repression by authorities that has drawn international condemnation.
Police tore down makeshift barricades the protesters had erected the previous day in the area of Khartoum North, where most of the fatal shootings took place the previous day.
There were no immediate reports on whether anyone was killed in Thursday’s violence.
Wednesday’s fatalities took the number of protesters killed since the October 25 military takeover to nearly 40.
The military’s actions have derailed Sudan’s transition to democratic rule after the removal in April 2019 of dictator Omar Al Bashir.
More than 500 others have been wounded, some seriously.
Medics linked to the pro-democracy movement say many of the dead and wounded suffered gunshot wounds.
Army soldiers and snipers widely suspected to be security agents were blamed for the use of live ammunition.
Army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has denied the involvement of the military in the killings. Police say they tend to use tear gas and rubber bullets.
Some neighbourhood resistance committees in Khartoum, responding to the latest violence, vowed on Thursday to wage an “open-ended” campaign of protests until the military steps aside.
The committees played a key role in organising the fourmonth long street protests during 2018-2019 that forced the army to remove Al Bashir.
Gen Al Burhan, Sudan’s leader since the overthrow of Al Bashir’s 29-year regime, has dismissed the civilian-led government of career UN economist Abdalla Hamdok, placed him under house arrest and detained members of his Cabinet.
An indefinite state of emergency has also been declared in the country.
Last week, Gen Al Burhan appointed himself the country’s leader at the head of a 14-member ruling council made up of generals, former rebel leaders and little-known civilians. The appointment of the Sovereign Council has significantly complicated several mediation bids to resolve the political crisis.
The events have drawn international condemnation and a series of punitive measures, as well as the suspension of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of aid. “We condemn violence towards peaceful protesters and call for the respect and protection of human rights in Sudan,” the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs said on Twitter.
Commenting on Wednesday’s violence, police said they had recorded only one death among protesters and that 30 others suffered breathing difficulties from tear gas.
They said they had fired no live rounds and used only “minimum force”, even as 89 officers were wounded, some of them critically.
The latest rallies were organised despite a shutdown of internet services since the takeover and severe disruption of telecoms systems across Sudan. Telephone lines were restored on Thursday morning but the internet remained down.