Sudan security forces fire tear gas as anti-coup protesters defy military

Sudanese security forces have fired tear gas to disperse protesters against the country's military coup in street clashes in the eastern Khartoum district of Burri, as per the media reports.

Protests against Sudan's military coup that has sparked international condemnation entered a fourth day on Thursday, as demonstrators rebuilt barricades demolished by security forces during overnight unrest.

But after a harsh security crackdown and heavy troop deployment, far fewer protesters risked arrest on the streets than in previous days.

READ MORE: A military coup: What is happening in Sudan?

Top general Abdel Fattah al Burhan – Sudan's de facto leader since the 2019 ouster of former leader Omar al Bashir – on Monday dissolved the fragile government that had been meant to shepherd the country to full civilian rule.

The World Bank and the United States have frozen aid and denounced the army's power grab, while the African Union has suspended Sudan's membership over what it termed the "unconstitutional" takeover.

READ MORE: What are the main political dynamics behind Sudan’s latest military coup?

Seven protesters killed

Seven protesters have been confirmed killed since Monday by morgues in Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman, said a health official who added that more corpses had since been received, some with wounds caused by "sharp tools".

One protester said the "security forces have been trying since yesterday morning to remove all our barricades, firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

"But we go and rebuild them as soon as they leave," added Hatem Ahmed, from northern Khartoum. "We will only remove the barricades when the civilian government is back."

Another protester said that "we do not want military power, we want a free democratic life in this country". 

Shops have remained closed following calls for a civil disobedience campaign and Sudan's pro-democracy movements ratcheted up calls for "million-strong protests" on Saturday.

UN calls on military to restore civilian rule

The UN Security Council has called on Sudan's new military rulers to restore the civilian-led government.

The council passed unanimously a statement that expressed "serious concern" about the coup Monday in the poverty-stricken African nation which has experienced only rare democratic interludes since independence in 1956.

The council called for the immediate release of all those detained by the military authorities and urged "all stakeholders to engage in dialogue without pre-conditions."