Sudanese security forces shot dead at least two protesters in Khartoum on Monday, an independent group of medics confirmed, as thousands of people came out on the streets to reject military rule and demand the release of prisoners, reported Reuters.
According to reports, the Sudanese security forces fired tear gas on protesters who continue to rally against the October 25 military takeover led by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Demonstrators in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman are also demanding the release of several political figures and pro-democracy activists arrested amid a crackdown on opposition groups.
Protests also took place in the eastern city of Port Sudan and in the western Darfur region. The deaths on Monday take the number killed in the unrest since last year’s coup to at least 81.
The power grab derailed a fragile power-sharing agreement between the army and civilians signed after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
In a statement, the independent Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said one protester was killed after he was shot in “the neck and chest by live rounds by coup forces” in Khartoum, while another protester was later killed in Omdurman after being struck by “live bullets to the left shoulder which penetrated the chest.”
The Sudanese police claimed that at least 102 police got severely injured during the protests while one suffered a gunshot to the foot. It also noted that protesters had smashed the front of the parliament building, set fire near an adjacent gas station, and damaged several vehicles and a mosque in Omdurman.
The Sudanese authorities have reportedly arrested dozens of activists who belong to so-called resistance committees that have been instrumental in organizing protests.
On Monday, the Sudanese Professionals Association said the number of people detained arbitrarily and without criminal charges has exceeded 100 so far.
