Members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) backed by Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) reportedly shot dead one protester during a rally in the state of Sinnar, reported BBC. The people rallied demanding members of the paramilitary group leave the town.
They gathered outside the office of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) to complain after the RSF raided a youth club on Saturday during a rally held to mourn the brutal killing of demonstrators killed in a Khartoum sit-in.
“Residents of the town had gathered outside the office of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) to complain about the RSF,” a witness, who declined to be named for security reasons, told AFP news agency. “RSF members deployed and initially started shooting in the air but later they opened fire at the residents, killing a man and wounding several other people.”
Doctors linked to the country’s umbrella protest movement, the Freedom and Change alliance, confirmed the incident. The doctor’s committee stated in the statement that the resident “was killed by gunshot in his head fired by Rapid Support Forces militia”, adding that several other people were wounded.
The shooting comes as the signing of a power-sharing deal agreed earlier this month has once again been delayed. As per the deal, the military would head a transitional authority for 21 months, with a civilian figure in charge for the next 18 months, after which elections would be held. The agreement also included a pledge to investigate the recent violence. A meeting between the military council and protest leaders planned for Saturday was postponed to Sunday.
On Saturday, the Sudanese people held rallies in several cities and towns across the country, including in Khartoum, in large numbers to mourn those killed in a raid on a protest camp on June 3 in the capital. As per reports, over 100 protesters were killed in the raid that day when security forces cracked down on demonstrators who had been camping out there for weeks, doctors close to the protesters have said.
