At least 15 people have been killed while dozens remain wounded on the deadliest day in a month of demonstrations against military rule.
State security forces attacked thousands of Sudanese who took to the streets on Wednesday. The protesters, marching against an October 25 coup across the capital Khartoum and in the cities of Bahri and Omdurman demanded a full handover to civilian authorities and for the leaders of the October 25 coup to be put on trial.
Witnesses said they fired live rounds and tear gas to prevent gatherings in all three cities, internet was disrupted and mobile phone communications were cut. State television said there were injuries among protesters and police but reported no fatalities.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a group aligned with the protest movement said deaths were concentrated in Bahri. “The coup forces used live bullets heavily in different areas of the capital and there are tens of gunshot injuries, some of them in serious condition,” it said.
A protester in Omdurman said “People are just terrified right now…” In response, protesters erected extensive barriers, emptying the streets of traffic.
He added that after breaking up peaceful pro-democracy protests on Saturday, Sudanese security forces “stormed a hospital in Omdurman and beat medical staff at the emergency room before arresting several wounded people.”
Earlier, on a main road in Khartoum, protesters burned tyres and chanted: “The people are stronger, and retreat is impossible.”
Others carried pictures of people killed in previous protests and of Abdalla Hamdok, the civilian prime minister who was put under house arrest during the coup, with the slogan: “Legitimacy comes from the street, not from the cannons.”
Many on social media posted images of protests in towns including Port Sudan, Kassala, Dongola, Wad Madani and Geneina.
U.S Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee said in a tweet: “I am saddened by reports of violence and loss of life today in Sudan. We condemn violence towards peaceful protesters and call for the respect and protection of human rights in Sudan.”
Phee met Hamdok during a visit to Khartoum on Tuesday where they discussed ways to restore Sudan’s democratic transition.