Sudan’s security forces have cracked down in recent days to quell the remaining unrest, six months after a coup that brought a military regime to power in the volatile strategic country.
Police fired tear gas and rifles against protesters as thousands took to the streets in the capital Khartoum and the twin city of Omdurman on Monday. The violence was followed by an equally sharp response to weekend demonstrations. A total of 113 people have been injured and one killed in recent days, according to doctors.
Ninety-six protesters were killed after a coup last October, and more than 1,500 were detained.
The security forces carried out a wave of arrests targeting resistance committees, a network of informal associations that organized most of the protests. Nazim Siraj, a prominent pro-democracy activist known for organizing medical care for wounded protesters, was detained on Sunday.
“In the last few days, they have increased arrests. Two of ours [resistance] commission were taken over the weekend. Many other people were taken. We are quiet these days, “said Youssef Abdallah Adam, a 35-year-old artist and decorator who heads the pro-democracy resistance committee in South Khartoum.
Lawyers said 80 people linked to the protest movement had been detained in less than two weeks. Many of them are scattered in prisons across the country, often hundreds of miles from their homes.
“Authorities believe the wave of arrests will affect the momentum of the protests, but the resistance commissions will continue to exercise their right to peaceful protests despite pressure on them,” said Osman Basri of the Khartoum Emergency Lawyers Association. “They will not stop until they reach a civilian government.”
The October coup came two and a half years after the popular uprising in 2019, which led to the fall of veteran dictator Omar al-Bashir and derailed Sudan’s transition from a power-sharing agreement to democracy. This sparked mass protests, with huge crowds in the streets of Sudan’s cities condemning both the military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok but sidelined the pro-democracy movement. Hamdock resigned in January, saying he could not work with the military.
Sudanese protesters take to the streets of Khartoum. Photo: AFP / Getty Images
Although the protests this weekend were the largest in some time, the pro-democracy movement is struggling to mobilize large crowds.
In Omdurman, hundreds of mostly young people gathered on Shahid Abdul Azim Street throughout the afternoon, carrying flags, beating drums and chanting protests. They blocked traffic with stones and burning tires. Some wore plastic helmets or goggles.
Many were injured in previous demonstrations and the mood was defiant. “I protested against Bashir, against the management of the army after that, against the coup as well. We are many and we will win, “said Momin Ahmed, 27, who has yet to regain full use of his hand after being shot earlier this year.
Ijlal Sayed Bushera, 43, said the protest movement would eventually win. “Even if more are killed and they drive trucks over us, we are here until we achieve the goals of the revolution,” Bushera told the Guardian.
After two hours, police moved, using tear gas and invading vehicles to disperse the unarmed protesters running down the side streets, coughing and tearing.
Activists acknowledge that repression and holidays during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have made it difficult to hold large protests, but also say they have changed tactics from mass rallies to focus on smaller, localized demonstrations.
Observers say the unrest that eventually toppled Bashir after 30 years in power began with small but repeated protests, but grew as the economy collapsed in the last months of the Islamist autocrat’s rule.
The military takeover in October prompted international donors, including the United States and the World Bank, to suspend significant amounts of economic aid and debt relief for Sudan. Economic chaos is threatening, with millions already facing severe food shortages and rising inflation.
Earlier this week, the US government warned US businesses and individuals not to work with Sudanese-owned or military-controlled companies.
The new council “shows the cost of the Sudanese military failing to cede power to a credible, civilian-led transitional government,” US officials said.
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Recent repression has been condemned by international and regional forces. The African Union and the United Nations Mission in Sudan called on the authorities to “end the violence, release all detainees, including members and leaders of the resistance commissions, end all arrests” and lift the state of emergency. [conduct] credible investigations … of all violent incidents ”.
Khartoum Governor Ahmed Otman Hamza praised the role of security forces in maintaining security and stability.
Sudan’s Central Committee of Doctors said the injuries in recent days had been caused by munitions, stunning grenades, rocks and moving vehicles. These include limb fractures, bullet wounds and difficulty breathing through tear gas.
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