Sudanese forces killed three people who protested on Saturday (30) against the military coup in the country, in what are considered the greatest acts since the army took power.
In the early morning hours of last Monday (25), forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan detained Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and other civilian cabinet members, launching a coup that halted a nearly three-year process of transition to a civil power.
The three protesters were shot dead by soldiers in Omdurman, a city near the capital, Khartoum, according to the Sudan Central Committee of Doctors on Twitter. A witness said he heard gunshots and saw people being carried bleeding towards the Parliament building.
The doctors’ committee report also stated that 38 people were injured in the city, some of them due to gunfire. At least 14 opponents were killed by security forces this week.
This Saturday, Sudanese took to the streets of several cities across the country. In Khartoum, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the act, according to the Reuters news agency. “The people have given their message: withdrawal is impossible, and power belongs to the people,” protester Haitham Mohamed said.
Security forces also used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd after protesters set up a stage and discussed holding a protest. Police, however, deny having fired during the acts, and state TV said one police officer was wounded by a firearm.
Military personnel blocked the roads leading to the airport and the Ministry of Defense complex. In the center of the capital, there was the presence of armed troops, which include the army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces. In neighborhoods, protesters blocked streets at night with stones, bricks, tree branches and plastic pipes to try to keep security forces at bay.
Unlike previous protests, many people have uploaded photos of Prime Minister Hamdok, who remains popular despite the economic crisis that has deepened under his rule. With restricted internet and telephone lines, opponents mobilized through leaflets, SMSs, graffiti and local acts.
Neighborhood-based resistance committees, active since the uprising against ousted president Omar al-Bashir that began in December 2018, have been central to organizing the protests. Bashir, who ruled Sudan for nearly three decades, was forced out by the army after months of protests.
“Close a street, close a bridge, Burhan, we’re heading straight for you,” the protesters shouted.
The general says he removed the prime minister’s office to prevent a civil war after politicians fueled hostilities against the armed forces. He also stated that he is committed to a democratic transition, including elections scheduled for July 2023.
The US and World Bank have already suspended assistance to Sudan, where an economic crisis has caused food and medicine shortages and nearly a third of the population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
While Western countries denounced the coup, Sudan’s regional allies — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — emphasized the need for stability and security.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, told Reuters that the kingdom hopes that all sides in Sudan can dialogue and chart a way forward.
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