One Sudanese protester killed in crackdown on anti-coup demonstration

Security forces killed a protester Monday as thousands of Sudanese once again took to the streets of Khartoum to denounce an October military coup that plunged the country into turmoil, a medical group said.

The protester was shot in the head as security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at protesters marching in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, said the Sudan Doctors Committee.

Security forces also broke up protesters marching toward the presidential palace in Khartoum, injuring dozens, the committee said.

There was no immediate comment from authorities.

Monday’s marches were the latest in near-daily street protests since the military took over on 25 Oct removing the civilian-led transitional government.

Since then, at least 83 people have been killed and over 2,600 injured in a bloody crackdown on protests, according to the doctors group.

The takeover has upended Sudan’s short-lived transition to democratic rule after three decades of repression and international isolation under autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

The African nation has been on a fragile path to democracy since a popular uprising forced the military to remove al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019.

Pro-democracy protesters call for the establishment of a fully civilian government to complete the now-stalled democratic transition.

The generals however insist that they will hand over power only to an elected government. They say elections will take place next year.