At least nine people were killed and hundreds wounded Thursday in clashes with police in Sudan. The largest number of casualties was reported in Omdurman, a city in the Sudan province of Omdurman, according to a report by the medical labor union.
The largest number of victims was reported in Omdurman, a satellite town of the capital, where security forces shot at protesters. There were also fatalities in Khartoum and Bahri, located in the metropolitan area. Many suffered tear gas injuries.
Tens of thousands of people, according to human rights activists, took part in a popular march against the military authorities, called by the country's revolutionary forces, led by the Alliance for Freedom and Change, which is Sudan's largest opposition civilian movement. A week ago, it rejected further dialogue with the army, as it sees no point in this due to the lack of any progress in negotiations with representatives of the armed forces.
The marchers are demanding an immediate transfer of power in the country from the military to the civilian forces and the removal of the army from politics. Residents of 30 cities joined the actions.
Transition to democracy
In April 2019, after months of protests amid Sudan's dire economic situation, the army removed President Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for 30 years, from power and took control of the state by creating an interim Military Council, dissolving the parliament and suspending the constitution. Opposition forces called for the formation of a civilian government as soon as possible and opposed the Military Council by launching a strike that repeatedly led to clashes and deaths. Eventually, after much consultation and negotiation, a Constitutional Declaration and Transition Agreement was signed in August of that year, which would have ended in three years with the military handing over power to the civilian forces.
However, expectations turned to the deepest political rift after the army dissolved the civilian cabinet last October and imposed a state of emergency. The head of the ruling Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, attributed the military's actions to a desire for a transitional period, and said he was ready to hold elections in 2023. However, the Sudanese perceived this as another military coup. Since then, protests have continued unabated in the country, with 107 victims of unrest. In recent months, the prices of basic foodstuffs, primarily bread, have skyrocketed, and the inflation rate has reached 350%. Sudan found itself on the brink of starvation.
The political crisis has reached its peak, and even the lifting of the state of emergency in the interests of national dialogue has not helped to break the stalemate.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Christopher Michel/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS