3 yıl önce

Sudanese forces fire tear gas as anti-military protests continue

Thousands rally across Sudan following the resignation of prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, demanding civilian rule.

AFP

Since the coup, nearly 60 protesters have been killed and hundreds of others injured in a heavy security crackdown.

Sudanese security forces have fired tear gas at anti-coup protesters who had gathered outside the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Thousands rallied across Sudan on Tuesday, chanting slogans against the military who led an October 25 coup which derailed a transition to civilian rule.

The protests came two days after Sudan's civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned.

Images posted online show young protesters singing, beating drums and waving Sudanese flags.

There were similar demonstrations in other cities, including the eastern city of Port Sudan.

Ahead of the protests, authorities closed major roads and streets in Khartoum and Omdurman, according to activists, tactics that have been employed in the past two months to prevent demonstrators from reaching government buildings.

Since the coup, nearly 60 protesters have been killed and hundreds of others injured in a heavy security crackdown, according to a Sudanese medical group.

The protests have been called by the Sudanese Professionals' Association and the Resistance Committees, which were the backbone of the uprising against Omar al Bashir.

Hamdok's resignation

Prime minister Abdalla Hamdok was ousted in the October coup, only to be reinstated a month later following a deal with the military meant to calm tensions and anti-coup protests.

Hamdok stepped down on Sunday amid political deadlock, saying he had failed to find a compromise between the ruling generals and the pro-democracy movement.

The military, under international pressure, reinstated Hamdok in November to lead a technocratic Cabinet. But the deal sidelined the pro-democracy movement behind the uprising against Bashir.

Since then, Hamdok was unable to form a Cabinet amid relentless protests not only against the coup but also against his deal with the military.

Uncertainty deepens

Hamdok’s resignation has thrown the country into further uncertainty and “deprived the generals of the fig leaf” they used to continue their military rule, said Mohammed Yousef al Mustafa, a spokesperson for the association

The protest movement insists on a fully civilian government to lead the transition, a demand rejected by the generals who say power will be handed over only to an elected government.

Elections are planned in July 2023, in line with a constitutional document governing the transitional period.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies