Thousands rally in Sudan's capital to demand civilian rule

CAIRO – Thousands of radical rallied successful the streets of Sudan’s superior metropolis Thursday, demanding a afloat civilian authorities arsenic the narration betwixt subject generals and pro-democracy groups deteriorated implicit the country’s future.

As crowds swelled successful abstracted marches successful Khartoum, protestation organizers said that information forces had attacked a radical of demonstrators adjacent the parliamentary headquarters. A constabulary statement, however, said that immoderate demonstrators had departed from the different peaceful march and attacked the information forces, leaving policemen with injuries, including 2 with gunshot wounds.

Dr. Mohamed al-Haj, who works astatine a adjacent infirmary successful the country of Omdurman, said helium knew of a twelve protesters who were being treated there, 2 of them with gunshot wounds.

Sudan has been ruled by an interim civilian-military authorities since 2019. The subject ousted longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir successful April that year, pursuing 4 months of wide protests against his rule. With al-Bashir toppled, the ruling generals agreed to stock powerfulness with civilians representing the protestation movement.

Ad

The aftermath has been volatile. Thursday's rallies travel aft a rival radical rallied successful enactment of the subject leaders.

The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which had called for the ample rallies nationwide, said successful a connection Thursday evening that information forces had attacked protesters adjacent the country's parliamentary headquarters. They did not elaborate connected the quality of the attack. The connection told protesters to stay peaceful, but not to retreat from the streets until determination was a handover of power.

“Let's people with our protests a caller question of fashionable uprising that volition pave the mode for a afloat civilian and antiauthoritarian rule,” work an earlier connection by the group, which spearheaded the uprising that kicked disconnected successful December 2018 and culminated successful al-Bashir’s ouster.

Thousands of men and women marched successful the superior Thursday, waving the Sudanese emblem and chanting: "We are free! We are revolutionaries! We volition transportation connected with our journey!”

Ad

Tensions betwixt the civilians and generals successful the transitional authorities person accrued since Sudan’s interim authorities said they foiled a coup effort wrong the subject past month. Officials blamed al-Bashir loyalists for the move. The announcement besides aroused fears among civilians that the subject whitethorn yet hijack the country's modulation to a civilian antiauthoritarian rule.

Military leaders person besides signaled a alteration successful direction. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, caput of the ruling Sovereign Council, said that dissolving the authorities of Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok could resoluteness the ongoing governmental crisis. Hamdok responded past week by addressing the nationalist successful a televised code wherever helium laid retired a bid of measures that helium said would assistance velocity the handover to a wholly elected and civilian government. They included repeated exhortations for groups of differing opinions to enactment together, and for the country’s transitional constitution and judicial bodies to beryllium respected.

Ad

In a video released by his bureau precocious Thursday, Hamdok praised the demonstrators' peaceful question and thanked the constabulary who had secured the marches.

Thursday’s rallies travel days aft a rival protestation successful enactment of the ruling generals.

On Saturday, thousands of Sudanese took to the streets of Khartoum to request the dismantling of Hamdok's authorities and the constitution of subject rule. Since then, hundreds of them person been camping extracurricular the Republican Palace, the spot of the Sovereign Council.

In a tweet connected Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called connected the Sudanese to workout their close to assembly peacefully and without violence.

Thursday's rallies besides coincide with the 57th day with the Sudanese uprising that ended the subject regularisation of Gen. Ibrahim Abboud successful 1964 and paved the mode for a law government.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.