CAIRO, Egypt
Sudanese took to the streets in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere across the country for mass protests Sunday against an October military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok but side-lined the movement.
The demonstrations mark the third anniversary
of the uprising that eventually forced the military removal of long-time
autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.
Sudan then followed a fragile path toward
democracy and ruled by a joint military-civilian government. The October 25
coup has rattled the transition and led to relentless street protests.
Video footage circulated online purported to
show tens of thousands of protesters marching in the streets of Khartoum and
its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday. Protesters were seen waving the Sudanese
flag and white ones with printed images of those killed in the uprising and
ensuing protests.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Sudan’s
authorities tightened security across the capital, barricading government and
military buildings to prevent protesters from reaching the military’s
headquarters and the presidential palace. They also blocked major roads and
bridges linking Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River.
Security forces used tear gas to disperse
protesters headed toward the palace on the bank of the Blue Nile in the heart
of Khartoum, according to activist Nazim Sirag. The Sudan Doctors Committee
said some protesters were injured, but didn’t provide a tally.
Activists described chaotic scenes, with many
protesters rushing to side streets from the tear gas. Later, footage showed
protesters at one of the palace’s gates chanting: “The people want the downfall
of the regime” — a slogan heard in the Arab Spring uprisings that began in late
2010. Those movements forced the removal of leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya
and Yemen.
The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which
spearheaded the uprising against al-Bashir, called on protesters to gather
outside the palace and block roads with make-shift barricades.
There were also protests in elsewhere in the
country, such as the coastal city of Port Sudan and the northern city of
Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising against al-Bashir.
The protests were called by the pro-democracy
movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir and stuck a power-sharing deal
with the generals in the months that followed his ouster.
Relations between the generals and the
civilians in the transitional government were shaky and capped by the
military’s Oct. 25 takeover that removed Hamdok’s government.
Hamdok was reinstated last month amid
international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic
Cabinet under military oversight led by him. The agreement included the release
of government officials and politicians detained since the coup.
Talks are underway to agree on what Gen.
Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, described as a “new
political charter” focused on establishing a broader consensus among all
political forces and movements.
Addressing Sudanese late Saturday ahead of the
protests, Hamdok said he stuck the Nov. 21 deal with the military mainly to
prevent bloodshed. He warned that the country could slide further into chaos
amid uphill economic and security challenges.
“Today, we are facing a retreat in the path of
our revolution that threatens the country’s security and integrity,” Hamdok
said, adding that the agreement was meant to preserve achievements his
government made in the past two years, and to “protect our nation from sliding
to a new international isolation.”
“The deal, in my view, is the most effective
and inexpensive means to return to the course of civic and democratic
transition,” he said.
Hamdok urged political parties and movements to
agree on a “national charter” to complete the democratic transition and achieve
peace with rebel groups.
The pro-democracy movement has meanwhile
insisted that power be handed over to a civilian government to lead the
transition. Their relentless protests follow the slogan: “No negotiations, no
compromise, no power-sharing” with the military.
The list of demands also includes restructuring
the military and other security agencies under civilian oversight and
disbanding militias. One is the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force that
grew out of janjaweed militias and is accused of atrocities during the Darfur
conflict and most recently against pro-democracy protesters.
Sunday’s protests have “unified all
revolutionary forces behind a single demand: handing over power to civilians,”
said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals’
Association.
“Prime Minister Hamdok must declare a clear
position and choose whether to join the people or continue siding with the
generals,” he told The Associated Press.
The continued protests since the coup have
increased pressure on the military and Hamdok, who has yet to announce his
Cabinet.
Security forces used violence, including firing
live ammunition at protesters, in the past round of demonstrations, according
to activists. At least 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded in protests
triggered by the coup, according to a tally by a Sudanese medical group.
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