Sudanese security forces killed three people Saturday during mass demonstrations against the country’s recent military coup. Protesters hit the streets of Sudan on Saturday to demand the restoration of a civilian government. Activists planned Saturday’s “march of millions” under the slogan “Leave.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Friday that he “remains in constant contact with all sides to facilitate a political solution in line with the Constitutional Document. UNITAMS [the U.N. Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan] is actively coordinating with mediation efforts currently underway to facilitate an inclusive dialogue, which remains the only path toward a peaceful solution to the current crisis.”
The shootings came in spite of repeated appeals by the West to Sudan’s new military rulers to show restraint and allow peaceful demonstrations.
Sudan Doctors’ Committee have confirmed that Security forces have killed at least nine people and wounded at least 170 others during the demonstrations.
Many fear that the protests may provoke a full-blown clampdown on civilians.
The military takeover occurred after weeks of escalating tensions between military and civilian leaders over Sudan’s transition to democracy.
The coup threatens to derail the process, which has slowly progressed since the army ousted longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, ending a popular uprising in 2019.
Sudanese military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan said Tuesday the army’s overthrow of the country’s transitional government was necessary to avoid a civil war.