The Unites States has come forward in support of Sudanese protestors demanding President Omar al-Bashir to step down. The anti-government protests sparked by anger over rising bread prices but soon turned into calls against Bashir’s three-decade rule.
Bashir, who has been in power for three decades, is keen to continue for another term in the polls expected for 2020. He has refused to step down and said his opponents needed to seek power through the ballot box. The protestors have been sitting outside the defence ministry in Sudan’s capital Khartoum since Saturday.
The U.S. has warned the Sudanese government against the use of force on protesters protesting around the army headquarters in Khartoum. Tibor Nagy, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of State’s Bureau for African Affairs, said the Sudanese government’s resort to violence on the protestors might impact relations between the U.S. and Sudan.
“We call on the Government of Sudan to halt all use of force against protesters, including the current sit in,” Nagy noted on Twitter, reported Africa News. “A decision to use violence against civilians in the coming days would impact all aspects of our bilateral relationship with the Government of Sudan.”
He commended the people of Sudan for their peaceful & resilient expression of their legitimate demands for a government overhaul, especially amid the violent repression of some security institutions by the Sudanese government. He said the U.S. supports the protestors’ desire for a peaceful and prosperous Sudan.
The Sudanese forces used tear gas to clear up demonstration by protesters by force on Monday. According to a report coming from Reuters, Bishara Jumaa, the interior minister, told parliament that six people were killed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum during protests on Saturday and Sunday and one more died in the western region of Darfur. Jumaa also informed that 15 civilians and 42 members of the security forces were injured in the protests and 2,496 protesters were arrested in Khartoum.
