Coup in Sudan: at least one protester killed in clashes with the military

Published on : 10/28/2021 – 7:33 PM

At least one protester against the military coup in Sudan was killed on Thursday (October 28th) in clashes in North Khartoum, a suburb separated from the Sudanese capital by the Nile, a pro-democracy doctors’ union said, adding that two other wounded were in critical condition.

The Medical Committee accuses “the Janjaweed forces and the putschist Military Council” of being behind this death. The Janjaweed militia, accused by numerous NGOs of ethnic cleansing and gang rape in Darfur, has been integrated into the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo known as “Hemedti”, issue two from General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, who dissolved all institutions in Sudan on Monday.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council expressed “serious concerns” over the military takeover in Sudan on Monday, urging the junta to re-establish the civilian government responsible for overseeing the political transition.

In a statement, approved by consensus by all of its 15 members, the Council called on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and engage in dialogue without preconditions.

He also called for the release of all those detained by the military authorities.

Rubber bullets and tear gas canisters

As soon as the coup was announced, the demonstrators set about setting up barricades, piling up branches, burnt tires and stones across the avenues of Khartoum.

They still defended their makeshift roadblocks on Thursday to paralyze the country with a campaign of “civil disobedience” decreed by almost all of the opposition parties, unions and other associations.

In fact, only a few bakeries are open, crowded with families. Like the last four days, the iron curtains of shops, banks and restaurants have remained lowered.

On Thursday evening, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters were fired at demonstrators in the very turbulent district of Bourri, in the east of the capital, as well as in Khartoum-Nord, a suburb separated from Khartoum by the Nile, have noted AFP journalists.

See you on Saturday

“The security forces are trying to dismantle all the barricades,” Hatem Ahmed, a protester, told AFP. “But we reinstall them as soon as they leave. We will not leave until a civilian government is instituted.”

Because, adds another protester, “we fully support the general strike”.

“We do not want military power, we want a free democratic life,” he insists again.

On social networks, accessible in rare places in a country where the authorities have cut the Internet, calls for massive mobilization on Saturday are increasing.

The activists want “a million demonstrators” to demand that General Burhane, military commander during the three decades of unchallenged power of Omar al-Bashir, join him in the high security prison of Kober in Khartoum.

With AFP