AGENCIES / KHARTOUM (SUDAN)
A large number of Sudanese took to the streets of the capital Khartoum and its suburbs for a fourth straight day Sunday demanding an end to military rule.
According to different media reports, a violent crackdown by the security forces during mass rallies on Thursday killed nine people, the deadliest day for several months in the long running protests of a military takeover last October led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Recent protests have seen crowds burn tires and barricade roads with bricks, with security forces using live bullets, firing barrages of tear gas canisters and using powerful water cannons, according to medics and the United Nations.
Demonstrators demand a restoration of the transition to civilian rule that was launched after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, which the coup derailed.
The death toll from protest-related violence has reached 114 since last year’s coup, with the latest fatality recorded Saturday when a demonstrator died from wounds sustained at a June 16 rally, according to pro-democracy medics.
‘We will not compromise’
The international community has condemned the recent bloodshed, with the United Nations’ rights chief urging an independent probe into Thursday’s violence.
The UN, African Union and regional bloc IGAD have tried to facilitate talks between the generals and civilians, which the main civilian factions have boycotted.