Thousands march in Sudan in anti-coup rallies

CAIRO, Egypt

Thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Saturday two months on since a military coup, demanding soldiers “go back to the barracks” and calling for a transition to civilian rule.

Witnesses said crowds marched on the streets of Khartoum despite a heavy deployment by the security forces, who had blocked bridges connecting the capital to suburbs, cut phone lines and restricted internet service ahead of the planned protests.

At least 48 people have died in crackdowns during weeks of protests, according to the independent Doctors’ Committee, and Khartoum’s state governor has warned that security forces “will deal with those who break the law and create chaos”.

Demonstrators converged on the presidential palace in Khartoum, the headquarters of the military government in control since General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power on October 25.

Burhan held civilian leader Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok under effective house arrest for weeks, but reinstated him on November 21 under a deal promising elections for July 2023.

The move alienated many of Hamdok’s pro-democracy supporters, who dismissed it as providing a cloak of legitimacy for Burhan’s coup.

Protesters online had encouraged supporters with slogans, including demanding “no negotiations” with the army.

As well as rallies in Khartoum and its suburbs, protesters also marched on the streets of Madani, a town around 150 kilometers (more than 90 miles) to the south, witnesses said.

Recent protests have seen thousands gather at key government buildings, including outside parliament, the presidential palace and the army headquarters.

Khartoum’s governor warned that “approaching or attacking buildings of strategic sovereignty is punishable by law”.