Protester killed in Sudan anti-coup rally

Sudanese security forces killed a protester on Wednesday when thousands of people rallied in the capital Khartoum against military rule, medics said.

The unidentified demonstrator was killed after suffering "a head injury by a tear gas canister... and then was run over" by security forces during protests, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.

The latest death brings to 117 the toll from a crackdown on anti-coup rallies which have taken place near-weekly since the October 25 coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the committee said.

The coup upended a transition to civilian rule that was launched after the 2019 ouster of strongman Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for three decades.

In July, Burhan pledged in a televised address to step aside and make way for Sudanese factions to agree on a civilian government.

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Civilian leaders dismissed his move as a "ruse", and pro-democracy protesters have held fast to their rallying cry of "no negotiation, no partnership" with the military.

Earlier this month, Burhan's deputy and paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said that last October's coup had failed to bring about change in Sudan.

Last month, Sufi religious leader Al-Tayeb Al-Jed launched an initiative aimed at ending Sudan's political crisis.

The move was welcomed by Burhan, as well as by Islamist groups that were part of Bashir's regime.

Source: AFP