Sudanese protest group rejects talks

CAIRO — A leading Sudanese protest group on Sunday rejected a United Nations initiative to hold talks with the military aimed at restoring the country’s democratic transition after an October coup. At least one demonstrator, meanwhile, was killed when security forces violently broke up anti-coup protests in the capital, activists said.

Over 60 people have been killed since the military takeover.

The U.N. offer Saturday came a week after Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned, citing a failure to reach compromise between the generals and the pro-democracy movement. The Oct. 25 coup scuttled hopes of a peaceful transition, over two years after a popular uprising forced the military overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government.

In a statement, the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which led the uprising against al-Bashir, said the “only way” out of the ongoing crisis is through the removal of the generals from power. It seeks a fully civilian government to lead the transition, underlined by the motto “No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing” with the military.

Protesters continued their marches in Khartoum on Sunday, with security forces firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators near the presidential palace, according to activist Nazim Sirag. At least one protester was killed and another one suffered a gunshot in his leg, Sirag said.

A 17-year-old protester, meanwhile, died in the hospital Sunday from his injuries, the Sudan Doctors Committee said. Alaa el-din Adel was shot in the neck during Thursday’s protests in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman.