Mass marches protest army rule in Sudan
KHARTOUM, Sudan — Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Sudan’s capital and elsewhere in the country on Sunday calling for civilian rule nearly three months after the army forced out long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
The demonstrations came amid a weekslong standoff between the ruling military council and protest leaders. Talks between the two sides over a power-sharing agreement collapsed in June when security forces violently broke up a protest camp in Khartoum.
The ensuing clampdown killed at least 128 people cross the county, according to protest organizers. Authorities say the toll was 61, including three security forces. At least five people were reportedly killed in Sunday’s protests.
The marches, the first since the June 3 crackdown, also mark the 30th anniversary of the Islamist-backed coup that brought al-Bashir to power in 1989, toppling Sudan’s last elected government. The military removed al-Bashir in April amid mass protests against his rule.
Crowds gathered at several points across the capital and in Omdurman before marching toward the homes of those killed since the uprising began.
“This is a very important day for the Sudanese people,” protester Hamdi Karamallah said.
The protest movement erupted in December, triggered by an economic crisis. The protesters remained in the streets after al-Bashir was overthrown and jailed, fearing that the military would cling to power or preserve much of his regime.
On Sunday, protesters chanted anti-military slogans like “Burhan’s council, just fall”, according to video clips circulated online. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan is head of the military council.