KHARTOUM, June 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One week after dozens died in a
crackdown on Sudanese protesters demanding civilian rule, four people were killed as security forces moved to quell a civil disobedience campaign
launched Sunday.
The deaths marked almost two months since the April 11 ouster of longtime
ruler Omar al-Bashir, as talks broke down between protest leaders and
military rulers over who should lead a new governing body — a civilian or
soldier.
Protesters set about building roadblocks in Khartoum, while markets and
shops were closed in other towns and cities.
A doctors’ committee linked to the demonstrators said two people had been
killed in clashes in the capital, while two others died in its twin city of
Omdurman, just across the Nile.
The Central Committee for Sudanese Doctors blamed forces supporting the
ruling military council for the deaths, which it said took the overall toll
to 118 since a June 3 crackdown to disperse a sit-in by protesters outside
army headquarters.
The health ministry says 61 people died nationwide in Monday’s crackdown, 49 of them from “live ammunition” in Khartoum.
In the capital’s northern Bahari district, people gathered tyres, tree
trunks and rocks to build new roadblocks as the campaign began early on
Sunday.
But riot police swiftly moved in, firing gunshots in the air and tear gas
at demonstrators before clearing the makeshift barriers, a witness said.
The Sudanese Professionals Association, which first launched protests
against Bashir in December, said the campaign would continue until military rulers transfer power to a civilian government.
The military blamed protesters for the deteriorating situation and vowed to
deploy security forces to restore order.
The ruling military council “regrets the behaviour” of the protest
movement, Lieutenant General Jamaleddine Omar of the military council said in a statement broadcast on state television Sunday.
“The Military Council has decided to reinforce the presence of armed
forces, RSF and other regular forces to help normal life return.”
Khartoum residents have mostly remained indoors since Monday, when men in military fatigues raided the protest camp.
Several vehicles of the feared Rapid Support Forces, blamed by witnesses
for the killings at the sit-in, were seen Sunday in various parts of
Khartoum, riding pickup trucks mounted with machineguns.
Several airlines have scrapped their Sudan flights since the deadly raid
and passengers were left waiting outside Khartoum airport’s departures
terminal Sunday, although it was unclear whether any flights would take off.
The downtown business district was largely shut and buses were not running in several areas, but private vehicles were ferrying passengers in some locations.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travelled to Sudan on Friday in a bid
to revive negotiations, holding separate meetings with the two sides after
which he called for a “quick” democratic transition. — NNN-AGENCIES
