San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Protesters demand reforms
CAIRO — Protests in Sudan’s capital and across the country on Saturday demanded a faster pace to democratic reforms, in demonstrations that marked the twoyear anniversary of the uprising that led to the military’s ouster of strongman Omar el-Bashir.
The protests come amid rising tensions between military and civilian members of Sudan’s transitional government, which was set up after el-Bashir’s arrest in April 2019 and has promised sweeping reforms.
Tensions have largely centered on the Sudanese military’s economic assets, over which the civilian-run finance ministry does not have control.
Saturday’s “millionman march” was called by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, and the socalled Resistance Committees, which were instrumental in leading protests against el-Bashir and demanding the army generals who replaced him share power with civilian officials.
Security forces closed off major roads and streets leading to government and military headquarters in Khartoum ahead of the protests. Footage circulating online Saturday showed thousands of protesters marching in Khartoum and its twin city, Omdurman, as well as in other cities across the country. Protesters set tires ablaze in some areas in the capital. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The protesters have called for a swift formation of a legislative body. Creating an interim parliament was part of a powersharing agreement signed in August 2019 between prodemocracy protesters and the country’s powerful military.
The demonstrations have also renewed calls for a governmentcommissioned investigation into the violent dispersal of a protest camp outside outside the military headquarters in Khartoum in June 2019.
According to the protesters, at least 128 people were killed and hundreds went missing. Authorities put the death toll at 87, including 17 inside the sitin area.
The probe was supposed to have been completed by February, but investigators asked for an extension, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, Sudan has reported more than 22,620 confirmed cases, including 1,425 deaths.
The transitional government faces steep challenges in transforming Sudan’s economic system and meeting the demands of the protest movement, which has been spurred by soaring prices of staple goods and rising youth unemployment.