Sudanese pro-democracy activists protest for third day

Anti-coup protests in Sudan continued for the third day in a row on Thursday following the killing of a protester by security forces in the capital Khartoum on Wednesday.

Dozens of protesters blocked Siteen Street, one of the most important thoroughfares in the capital.

The protests follow a call by activists earlier this week for civil disobedience in response to security forces killing at least seven people on Monday during a peaceful march against army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan's coup against Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdok's civilian government last October.

The protests have used the slogan “loyalty to martyrs” and were endorsed by various unions and political groups, including the opposition Umma Party, which has called for the ruling military junta to lift the state of emergency it has imposed.

Two senior US diplomats visited Sudan on Wednesday to discuss resolution of the country's crisis with opposition figures.

US Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee and the newly appointed US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, David Satterfield, met with pro-democracy activists from the Sudanese Professionals Association, according to the US Embassy in Khartoum.

Following the October coup, the military detained Hamdok and other cabinet ministers.

The coup  triggered mass demonstrations followed by a crackdown which has left at least 72 people dead and hundreds wounded, according to the independent Doctors' Committee.

At least 13 women have allegedly been raped during the unrest, according to the United Nations.

On November 21, Burhan reinstated Hamdok and promised elections in mid-2023, but the protest movement slammed the deal as a "betrayal" and has kept up its campaign of civil disobedience.

Hamdok resigned as prime minister earlier this month.