Sudanese protesters blamed for Khartoum sit-in deaths for Khartoum sit-in deaths
Five protesters and an army major died yesterday in clashes in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, hours after the military reported that there had been progress in negotiations with protest leaders.
The shootings occurred in the early hours of the morning as sit-in protests continued outside the military’s headquarters, where demonstrators are demanding a full civilian government.
Dozens of people were also injured.
The military strongly suggested that the protest leaders, grouped under an umbrella organisation called the Declaration of the Forces of Freedom and Change, must take some of the blame for the incident after they called on their followers to escalate the protests.
The armed forces said that infiltrators were behind the shooting of the army major and injuries to 12 soldiers in circumstances that have yet to be clarified.
The US embassy said that about 100 others were injured in the clash.
It said the shootings were “clearly the result of the Transitional Military Council trying to impose its will on the protesters”.
Addressing a hurriedly arranged news conference in the early hours of yesterday, the military denied that its soldiers were responsible for the shootings.
Lt Gen Hashem Abdul-Mutaleb, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said there had been a huge escalation and “clear provocation of the armed forces”.
His comments were in reference to roadblocks that
protesters installed around the sit-in site, which have prevented the flow of goods around the country.
The military effectively became rulers of the country after longtime president Omar Al Bashir was ousted on April 11, but the protesters insist that civilians – and not the armed forces – should make up the majority of any transitional government.
For weeks the two sides engaged in on-off negotiations about the structure and powers to be granted to Sudan’s temporary government.
Talks broke down acrimoniously last week, with each side accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith. They resumed on Monday and the two sides later said they had come to an arrangement, but now needed to agree on the make-up of the administration and the length of the transitional period.
Military leaders insisted that they should have the ultimate power and that the transitional period should be no more than two years.
The protesters insist that civilians should take the lead and that the transitional period should be four years – long enough to draft a new constitution and election law, as well as negotiate a peaceful end to rebellions that have displaced millions of people.
Protesters accused the military of seeking to dislodge the sit-in protest, which is part of a four-month movement that rallied against Mr Al Bashir.
The military blamed infiltrators for the shooting of a major and injuries to 12 soldiers