Sudanese security forces fire teargas at anti-coup protesters, witnesses say

By Nafisa Eltahir

KHARTOUM – Sudanese security forces fired teargas at activists protesting in their thousands against the country’s military rulers on Sunday, according to three witnesses in major cities.

Thousands of demonstrators marched from Omdurman to Bahri, two cities adjoining the capital Khartoum, chanting slogans denouncing military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who took power in a coup on Oct. 25 that upended a transitional power-sharing deal with civilians.

Separate protests were held in Khartoum and cities in other regions of Sudan. One witness in Khartoum and one in Bahri said security forces also threw stun grenades at protesters.

One man was killed after being hit in the neck by a teargas canister, said a Sudanese doctors association aligned with the protest movement, though it did not specify where the death took place.

That brought the number of civilians killed by security forces to 62 since the coup, according to the doctors, who have also accused the military of repeatedly raiding medical facilities treating injured protesters and attacking staff.

A police spokesman contacted by Reuters for comment about the reports of violence said a statement from security forces was expected, declining to comment further.

The military has justified the coup as a “correction” needed to stabilize the transition to elections from a power-sharing arrangement the military and civilians struck following the toppling of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

It has said that peaceful protests are permitted and that those responsible for causing casualties will be held to account.