A Sudanese protestor was shot dead and several others got injured in firing by security forces during Friday’s mass demonstration that was organized to commemorate the third anniversary of the protests and sit-ins outside the army headquarters in Khartoum in June 2019 against now-ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir, reported Reuters.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) on Friday said a protester died from bullet wounds to the chest as the security forces opened intense fire on the protesters at Station 7 in the Al-Sahafa suburb of Khartoum city.
Despite regional and international calls, the security forces used excessive force to disperse the marches firing live bullets and tear gas on the demonstrators.
After Bashir’s ouster, further demonstrations led to the formation of a transitional government but the same was ousted last October by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. There have been repeated protests against the coup.
According to medics linked to the protest movement, at least 128 demonstrators have been killed in protests so far.
On Friday, Britain, Norway, and the United States issued a joint statement calling for the prompt resolution of the government-appointed investigation into the massacre and disclosure of findings to the public.
Friday’s demonstrations took place as the UN expert on human rights in Sudan visited the country for the second time since the coup. The UN, along with the African Union and regional grouping IGAD, has been pushing to facilitate Sudanese-led talks to resolve the crisis.
On Wednesday, the UN, AU and IGAD representatives met with Sudanese military leaders and agreed on the launch of direct talks next week.
On Sunday, the army chief Burhan lifted a state of emergency in force since the coup to set the stage for meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period. Since April, Sudanese authorities have released a number of civilian leaders and pro-democracy activists arrested in the crackdown.
