Security forces shot dead at least five anti coup protestors in Sudan today while wounding dozens of protestors who took the streets to protest the military power grab after general al-Burhan ousted the government and declared a state of emergency on Oct, 25, reported Reuters.
“The coup forces used live bullets heavily in different areas of the capital and there are tens of gunshot injuries, some of them in serious condition,” said the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a group of medics aligned with the protest movement. It reported four deaths in Bahri and one in Omdurman.
The protesters marched in scattered neighborhoods across Khartoum and its twin cities of Bahri and Omdurman as security forces fired live bullets and tear gas after mobile phone communications were cut earlier in the day, according to Reuters.
Dozens more who rallied against military rule in the past days suffered bullet wounds, the union said, as the overall casualty toll in the crackdown rose to 29 dead and hundreds wounded.
The protesters, organized by local “resistance committees”, are calling for a full handover to civilian authorities and for the leaders of the Oct. 25 coup to be tried in court.
Images of protests in towns and cities including Port Sudan, Kassala, Dongola, Wad Madani and Geneina were posted on social media, with demonstrators carrying pictures of people killed in previous protests and of Abdalla Hamdok, the civilian prime minister who was placed under house arrest during the coup, with the slogan: “Legitimacy comes from the street, not from the cannons.”
Security forces were heavily deployed on main roads and intersections, using tear gas to prevent gatherings, reported Reuters.
There was no immediate comment from security forces. However, Military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has previously said peaceful protests are allowed and that the military,
Mobile internet services in Sudan have been suspended since the coup. This has complicated a campaign of anti-military rallies, strikes and civil disobedience.
The coup ended a transitional partnership between the military and a civilian coalition that helped topple Omar al-Bashir, the president who ruled the Sudan for nearly 30 years, in 2019.
Despite pressure from Western states which have suspended economic assistance to Khartoum, efforts at mediation have stalled, with Burhan moving to cement control with help from Bashir-era veterans.
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