This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
Thousands Demonstrate in Sudan to Mark 40 Days Since Deadly Crackdown ¶
On Saturday, tens of thousands of Sudanese citizens took to the streets across the country to mark 40 days since security forces killed dozens in a crackdown on a protest camp in Khartoum.
The demonstrations were the first since the ruling military council and civilian opposition agreed in principle to a power-sharing arrangement ahead of elections, but the deal has yet to be finalized and signed.
A meeting between the two sides planned for Saturday was postponed to Sunday, a leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition told Reuters. However, the military council denied the meeting was being delayed.
Security forces used barbed wire to block a main road leading to the Defence Ministry compound, the site of the protest camp crushed by security forces in June, a Reuters witness said.
At least 128 people were killed during the raid and in the two weeks that followed, according to doctors linked to the opposition. The government confirmed at least 61 deaths.
Protesters lit candles to remember those killed at the protest camp on June 3, while others lit the torches on their mobile phones. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Civilian!” and “Blood for blood, even if (we get) civilian rule!”
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the Transitional Military Council and head of the RSF, defended the latter’s role in maintaining security, saying “Rapid Support are not angels, but we prosecute every offender.”
