Sudan police fire tear gas at Khartoum protesters

Pro-democracy groups say the military should not be part of the government as they cannot be trusted to lead the transition to democracy. Sudanese police have fired tear gas at protesters, who rallied near the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum to voice their anger against a military deal that re-instated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Thousands of people took to the streets in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities on Monday as part of relentless demonstrations against the October military coup and subsequent deal that has allowed the military to remain part of the transitional council formed in 2019 following the overthrow of longtime President Omar al-Bashir. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the military-civilian Sovereign Council on October 25 that had been set up to guide the country to democracy and declared a state of emergency across the country.

Mass protests and international condemnation against his move forced al-Burhan, who is also the head of the governing council, to reinstate Hamdok last month. He has also promised to hold elections in July 2023 and hand over power to an elected civilian government. But pro-democracy groups, who were at the forefront of the uprising that toppled al-Bashir, have criticised the deal to reinstate Hamdok. They have said the military should not be part of the government as they can not be trusted to lead the transition to democracy. Protesters in Khartoum waved Sudanese flags and chanted “civilian is the people’s choice” as well as “the people are stronger.” Ahmed Latif, an eyewitness, said police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and sticks to disperse protesters near the palace in Khartoum. “Police used intensive tear gas against peaceful protesters, and this step is a real violation and proves that the military and Hamdok don’t respect human rights or freedom of assembly,” he told Anadolu Agency. Source: aljazeera.com