Sudan arrests senior opposition leader amid protest crackdown

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudanese security forces arrested a senior opposition leader Tuesday, as officers fired tear gas to stop thousands of protesters rallying against last year's military coup, an AFP correspondent said.

Sudan's deputy chief of the ruling military council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo

The demonstrations were the latest since an October 25 military takeover led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which was followed by a broadening crackdown on civilian and pro-democracy figures in the north-east African nation.

At least 85 people have been killed and hundreds wounded by security forces during over four months of protests demanding civilian rule and justice for those killed in demonstrations, according to medics.

On Tuesday, security forces fired a barrage of acrid tear gas at crowds heading towards the presidential palace in the centre of the capital Khartoum, with several people injured, an AFP correspondent said.

Tuesday's protests coincided with International Women's Day.

Crowds chanted slogans in support of Sudanese women -- who have played a key role in the recent protest movement, as well as in the rallies that paved the way to the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

"Long live the 'Kandakas'," the crowd shouted, using the name for ancient Nubian queens.

In North Khartoum, many waved national flags or carried posters of fellow demonstrators who have been killed, witnesses said.

'Excessive force' 

Also on Tuesday, prominent politician Babiker Faisal was arrested while he was attending a funeral in North Khartoum, according to Sudan's Unionist Alliance. 

Faisal was a member of the committee tasked with recovering properties seized during Bashir's three-decade long rule, before he was toppled and jailed.

Last month, several senior committee members were arrested, including Mohamed al-Fekki, who was also a member of Sudan's Sovereign Council before he was ousted in the October coup.

Since the military takeover, authorities have accused the committee of misappropriating funds that it confiscated, accusations its members deny.

The military power-grab derailed a transition to full civilian rule negotiated between military and civilian leaders following Bashir's ouster. 

On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council said it estimated around 1,000 people have been arrested since the coup, including women and children. 

"The Sudanese authorities must cease to use excessive force and live ammunition against protesters," said UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said, calling for the release of detainees. 

Also on Monday, the ambassadors of the European Union, Canada and the United States slammed "attempts to unduly limit freedom of expression" in Sudan.

"We therefore call on the de facto Sudanese authorities to return to commitments made to defend media freedom ... and respect the right to peaceful assembly," the diplomats said.

On Tuesday, deputy chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, met with African Union envoy Mohamed Lebatt to discuss the crisis in the country. The AU has suspended Sudan's membership since the coup. - AFP