Sudanese security forces shot and killed at least seven protesters in the capital Khartoum on Monday and injured about 100 other demonstrators. International news agencies report this based on information from doctors from the Central Committee of Doctors in Sudan, a pro-democratic association of doctors. Sudanese activists say it is “one of the deadliest days” since the military coup at the end of October 2021, according to the AP news agency.
The violent response by the security forces took place near the presidential palace in Khartoum. The demonstrators are said to have tried to move towards the palace, formerly the residence of former dictator Omar al-Bashir and a symbol of the old power. The army fired on the demonstrators and used tear gas, among other things. Eyewitnesses tell Reuters news agency to have seen heavily bleeding bodies on the street.
The United Nations, among others, has condemned the violence against the demonstrators. “People have the right to demonstrate peacefully,” said spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. Since last week, the UN has been leading negotiations between the army and the Sudanese pro-democracy movement. Dujarric emphasizes the importance of an atmosphere “both on the street and, of course, in the hall” that contributes to the success of these negotiations.
For weeks, Sudanese have been demonstrating in Khartoum and other cities against the coup at the end of October, when the military top took power from the transitional government set up after Bashir’s fall in 2019. Abdalla Hamdok was prime minister on paper for a while, but earlier this month he resigned after failing to bring the generals and the pro-democracy movement closer together. In response, the demonstrations in the East African country grew bigger and more intense. In total, according to figures from the Central Committee of Doctors in Sudan, at least 70 protesters have now been killed in the demonstrations since the coup.
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