In the capital, Khartoum, and in the east of the country, thousands of people said “no to the military regime” and stressed that “there is no possible going back”.
Thousands of Sudanese protested in the streets this Saturday to demand a return to the democratic path after the coup carried out on Monday by the coup general Abdel Fattah al Burhan, in demonstrations in which three people were killed and more than 100 injured. .
With these deaths, there are already 12 deaths since Monday, when the demonstrations began against General Burhan’s decision to dissolve the institutions of this poor country, marked by decades of economic crisis and conflict. Some 300 injured are added to the deceased.
The UN and the United States had already warned against the use of violence in these demonstrations, which they considered a test to see exactly what the military’s intentions are.
In the capital, Khartoum, and in the east of the country, thousands of people said “no to the military regime” and stressed that “there is no possible reversal” in this country that emerged in 2019 from the 30-year dictatorship of Omar al Bashir, overthrown by the army, pressured in turn by the citizens. But ending his government had a high price: six months of mobilization and more than 250 deaths.
Other protesters waved photographs of the deposed prime minister under house arrest, Abdallah Hamdok, on Saturday.
In the city of Omdurman, located opposite the capital Khartoum, three protesters were shot dead by security forces and a hundred injured, a pro-democracy doctors union announced on Twitter.
As evening fell in Khartoum, security forces were trying to disperse the crowd with tear gas, an AFP journalist found.
“100% civil”
In a country run almost without interruption by the military in its 65 years of independence, the street decided to rise up against General Burhan.
Since Monday, many Sudanese have declared “civil disobedience” and are protecting themselves behind barricades from real or rubber bullets and tear gas from the security forces.
“We want a civilian regime and we will not accept the sharing of power with the military, it has to be 100% civilian,” Hashem al-Tayeb, a protester in southern Khartoum, told AFP.
“The country has had too many military regimes,” corroborated Hajar Yusef, another protester.
After two years of delicate transition, the understanding between the army and civilians has been shattered in recent weeks and ended with the coup and the arrest of most of the civilian leaders.
Nine days ago, tens of thousands of Sudanese had protested in the streets shouting “Burhan, leave power”, a demonstration that probably precipitated the army’s maneuver.
The coup general assures that he has not struck a coup but has acted to “avoid a civil war” and to “rectify the course of the Sudanese transition.”
“The military will not direct us, here we leave our message,” said pro-democracy militant Tahani Abbas on Saturday. For her and many of those present, this protest, called a “million-strong demonstration”, is nothing more than “a first step”.
– “The world looks” –
After the coup, the United States and the World Bank stopped their aid, vital for a country mired in rampant inflation and endemic poverty. The African Union suspended Sudan and the UN Security Council demands the return of civilians to power.
This time “the military leaders must not be mistaken: the world is looking at them and will not tolerate any more blood,” Amnesty International warned.
On Saturday, again, British emissary Robert Fairweather called on the Sudanese security forces to “respect freedom and the right of expression.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged “the military to show restraint and not cause more victims.” (I)
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