3 yıl önce

Sudanese doctors protest attacks by security forces in anti-coup rallies

Sudanese doctors have taken to the streets of Khartoum, carrying pictures of colleagues they said were killed by security forces who fired tear gas inside hospitals during anti-coup protests.

AFP

The demonstration by medical personnel was the latest in the crisis-hit African country, which has been on the boil since an October 25 coup.

Sudanese doctors have protested against violent attacks by security forces targeting medical personnel during pro-democracy rallies following last year's military coup.

"During every protest they fire tear gas inside the hospital where I work," one doctor, Houda Ahmad, said at the rally in Khartoum on Sunday.

"They even attack us inside the intensive care unit," she added at the rally, where medical personnel carried pictures of colleagues they said had been killed.

The demonstration was the latest in the crisis-hit north-east African country, where protesters in the north also blockaded roads to vent their anger against an electricity price hike announced last week. That has since been frozen.

Sudan's October 25 coup led by military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan derailed a fragile transition to civilian rule that had started with the 2019 ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir following youth-led mass protests.

The military power grab has sparked an international outcry and triggered a new wave of street demonstrations, with another rally expected on Monday.

Pandemic and poverty

During the turmoil of recent months, prime minister Abdulla Hamdok was detained and later reinstated but then quit, warning that Sudan was at a dangerous crossroads threatening its very "survival".

Deadly crackdowns have claimed the lives of 64 protesters, according to pro-democracy medics. A police general has also been killed in the street violence that has rocked Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) said last week there had been 11 confirmed attacks on Sudanese health facilities since November.

The WHO said it was "also aware of the interception of ambulances, medical personnel and patients during their attempts to seek safety".

It called for the attacks to "stop now", pointing out that they threaten healthcare services needed more than ever during the Covid pandemic.