This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
On July 31, 2019, the ruling military authorities in Sudan ordered schools nationwide to close their doors indefinitely amid mass demonstrations over the shooting dead of schoolchildren at a rally.
Protesting students gathered in cities including the capital Khartoum following the killings on Monday, with dozens more injured after snipers and other gunmen opened fire on a protest in El-Obeid over fuel and bread shortages.
According to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, an organisation linked to the pro-democracy protesters, at least 62 people were wounded in El-Obeid alongside the five who died.
The United Nations children’s agency, Unicef, has called on the authorities to investigate the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice, stating, “No child should be buried in their school uniform.”
The chairman of Sudan’s military council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has condemned the killings, saying, “What happened in al-Obeid is sad. Killing peaceful civilians is an unacceptable crime that needs immediate accountability.”
