Sudanese Activists: 7 More Killed in Clashes with Police
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Sudanese security forces tried again to break up an anti-government sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, killing at least seven people on Tuesday, activists behind the demonstrations said.
The deaths brought the total number of people killed at the sit-in since the weekend to 15, mainly from among the protesters but also including two soldiers.
The demonstration is the latest in nearly four months of anti-government protests that have plunged Sudan into its worst crisis in years. What initially erupted late last year as rallies against a spiraling economy quickly escalated into calls for an end to President Omar al-Bashir's 30-year rule.
On Monday for the first time, leaders of the protests called on the military's leadership to abandon al-Bashir and join their call for change.
Sarah Abdel-Jaleel, spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, said the new clashes erupted early on Tuesday between security forces and protesters who have been camping out in front of the military complex in Khartoum for the past four days, AP reported.
The police used tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire to try to disperse the protesters, according to Abdel-Jaleel's union, which is spearheading the demonstrations.
But a crack seems to be emerging among Sudanese forces as to how to handle the protests. Footages circulating online Tuesday show some Sudanese troops seeking to protect the protesters and guarding the entrance to the sit-in area. Heavy gunfire can be heard as protesters seek cover from the descending security forces.
The Sudan Doctors Committee, an affiliate of the union, said a military officer, a captain, was killed while defending the protesters Tuesday.
The medical group said troops guarding the military's complex, which also houses the Defense Ministry and a presidential residence, chased the security forces away, firing into the air for the second night.
It said apart from the officer, six protesters also were killed. Abdel-Jaleel, the spokeswomen, said at least 30 protesters were wounded in the violence.
A government spokesman didn't respond to calls seeking comment. The county's interior minister, Bishara Gomaa, told the parliament on Monday that at least seven people were killed in the protests since Saturday — six in Khartoum and the seventh in the Darfur region.
