Sudan forces fire tear gas at pro-democracy protesters

Sudanese security forces fired tear gas Tuesday as they confronted thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in the capital Khartoum, an AFP correspondent said.

Protesters chanted "No to military rule" as they marched towards the presidential palace, denouncing a coup last year led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that derailed a transition to civilian rule.

Burhan seized power in October 2021 and arrested civilian leaders appointed following the 2019 ouster of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir, plunging Sudan into a political and economic crisis.

"We will not stop until the military power is toppled and replaced with a civilian government," said protester Hadia Mohammed.

"We will not leave the streets until we achieve the goals of the revolution: liberty, peace and justice," said Samer Omar, another activist, draped in a Sudanese flag and wearing a yellow helmet for protection.

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Eyewitnesses said thousands also demonstrated in the city of Wad Madani, south of Khartoum, and Gedaref in the east.

Security forces have cracked down on near-weekly protests since the 2021 coup, resulting in at least 119 deaths, according to pro-democracy medics.

Since the military power grab, activists have warned that several Bashir-era loyalists had been appointed to official positions, including in the judiciary, which is currently trying the former dictator.

Burhan's pledge of elections next year is seen as far-fetched, and no civilian leaders have taken up the mantle of the army chief's promised civilian government.

Meanwhile, experts said a surge in ethnic violence in recent months has highlighted a security breakdown in Sudan, with the United Nations reporting over 370 people killed in clashes and at least 210,000 forced from their homes this year.

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In Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, a third of the country's 45 million inhabitants suffer from hunger, a 50 percent increase compared with 2021, according to the World Food Programme.

Source: AFP