This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, hundreds of Sudanese university students gathered in downtown Khartoum, chanting "civilian rule, civilian rule" as they sought justice for fellow pupils killed in months of political unrest.
The rally followed a power-sharing deal signed between protest leaders and army rulers, but negotiations had yet to address accountability for hundreds killed since demonstrations first erupted in December.
According to Doctors close to the protest movement, 246 people have been killed nationwide in protest-related violence, while Sudanese officials have given a lower death toll.
"Blood for blood, we don't want compensations," chanted the students, many holding photographs of comrades killed in seven months of protest while others waved Sudanese flags.
Student Malaz Eizzeddine said, "We are in the streets because we want those responsible for the sit-in massacre to be held accountable," referring to a June 3 crackdown on a protest camp in the capital Khartoum, in which dozens of demonstrators were killed and hundreds wounded.
Protest leader Ismail al-Taj addressed the students before the rally dispersed, saying, "You're the soul of the revolution. We are loyal to you and we are loyal to the martyrs," as protesters chanted revolutionary slogans.
Although protest leaders and the generals who took over following Bashir's ouster have inked a power-sharing deal, three rebel groups backing the demonstrators have expressed reservations about the agreement.
