Deaths climb in Sudan anti-coup protests
After the 15-member UN Security Council called for the restoration of Sudan’s civilian-led government – toppled on Monday – US President Joe Biden said his nation like others stood with the demonstrators.
“Together, our message to Sudan’s military authorities is overwhelming and clear: the Sudanese people must be allowed to protest peacefully and the civilian-led transitional government must be restored,” he said in a statement.
“The events of recent days are a grave setback, but the United States will continue to stand with the people of Sudan and their non-violent struggle,” said Biden, whose government has frozen aid.
With thousands taking to the streets to oppose the takeover led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, witnesses said live and rubber bullets were used on protesters in Bahri, across the river from the capital Khartoum as nightly protests picked up.
A doctors’ committee, which tracks the violence, said a “martyr” died in those clashes while two others were wounded and in critical condition. Earlier, a 22-year-old man died of gunshot wounds, a medical source said.
That took the total of fatalities in four days to at least 11, medical sources said.
On Thursday night, Burhan said in a speech to groups who helped remove dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 that consultations were underway to select a prime minister, according to a video aired by Al- Jazeera TV.
He said that the army is negotiating with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok of the now dissolved transitional council to form the new government.
“Until this night, we were sending him people and telling him … complete the path with us, until this meeting with you, we were sending him people to negotiate with him and we are still having hope,” Burhan said.
“We told him that we cleaned the stage for you … he is free to form the government, we will not intervene in the government formation, anyone he will bring, we will not intervene at all”.
Defiance
The UN Security Council, along with other foreign powers, called for restraint, dialogue and freedom of detainees.
The latest of several recent coups in Africa ended a shaky transitional set-up in Sudan intended to lead to elections in 2023. Power was shared between civilians and the military following the fall of Bashir, whom the army deposed after a popular uprising two years ago.
