Soldier killed in clash at military HQ

Sudanese security forces have attempted to break up an anti-government sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, setting off clashes in which a soldier was killed while trying to protect protesters, activists said.

Thousands of people rallied in front of the compound in the capital over the weekend in one of the biggest demonstrations since protests erupted in December calling for President Omar al-bashir to step down.

The protesters set up tents on Saturday in what appeared to be an effort to replicate the mass sit-ins of the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.

Security forces have used tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire to try to disperse the protesters, according to the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is spearheading the demonstrations.

The Sudan Doctors Committee, which is an affiliate of the SPA, said the soldier was wounded while trying to protect the protesters and later died of his wounds.