Sudan: Military uses violence against protesters

Sudanese troops used violence against thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets in Khartoum and other cities. For weeks you have been calling for a civil government without the involvement of the military.

The military junta in Sudan used violence against thousands of demonstrators in several cities. The troops used tear gas and apparently also live ammunition, announced the Sudanese medical committee. Injured people are being treated at local hospitals, some of whom are in critical condition.

The protests are directed against the military, who came to power on October 25 and are currently involved in a transitional government that was formed in November under national and international pressure. In the capital, Khartoum, the crowd chanted: “Revolution. The military belongs in the barracks.”

Participants waved Sudanese flags and also hurled stones at security guards and armored police vehicles from which tear gas was being fired. They came within a few hundred meters of the presidential palace, the headquarters of military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The police and military had previously closed the bridges and set up patrols to enforce a curfew. Telephone and Internet connections were cut, reported the Internet group NetBlocks, over which activists had called for a protest and broadcast their actions.

Murders and rapes

According to a medical committee, at least 48 people were killed in the protests against the military junta, which have been going on for weeks. The people are demanding a return to the civilian government of the country.

The last time the Nile bridges were closed in Khartoum was on December 26th when there were demonstrations with tens of thousands of participants. Activists also denounced sexual assault on women during the December 19 protests.

At that time, according to the UN, at least 13 women and girls were victims of rape. The EU and US condemned the use of sexual violence “as a weapon to keep women away from demonstrations and to silence their voices”.