Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top
Shops are seen closed in Khartoum's Sajane Market on January 18, 2022, as part of a civil disobedience campaign following the killing of seven anti-coup demonstrators, including a merchant from the market © AFP

Africa

Sudanese barricade streets, close shops after 7 killed

Khartoum, Sudan, Jan 18 – Sudanese shuttered shops and barricaded Khartoum streets on Tuesday in a civil disobedience campaign to protest one of the bloodiest days since an October coup derailed the country’s democratic transition.

Security forces on Monday killed at least seven people during anti-coup protests by thousands, bringing the total fatalities from the crackdown on anti-coup demonstrations to 71, according to medics.

Sudan’s main civilian bloc, the Forces for Freedom and Change, called for two days of civil disobedience to begin on Tuesday.

“Shop closed for mourning,” said a series of small signs posted on the closed outlets at the sprawling Sajane construction supplies market in Khartoum. One of the merchants, Othman el-Sherif, was among those shot dead on Monday.

In several other parts of Khartoum, too, many pharmacies and other shops were shuttered, according to an AFP correspondent.

Sudan’s University for Science and Technology suspended all activities as part of the civil disobedience, according to an official statement.

As they do regularly, police on Tuesday fired tear gas at dozens of protesters setting up roadbloacks, this time on the streets of east Khartoum, according to an AFP correspondent.

Map of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. © AFP

After Monday’s deaths the United Nations special representative Volker Perthes condemned the use of live ammunition and the US embassy criticised “violent tactics of Sudanese security forces,” the latest such appeals by world powers, which have not curbed a rising death toll.

Washington’s Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee and special envoy for the Horn of Africa, David Satterfield, were expected in Khartoum where they would “reiterate our call for security forces to end violence and respect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” spokesman Ned Price said.

On Monday, Sudan’s police said they used “the least force” to counter the protests, in which about 50 police personnel were wounded in confrontations.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Authorities have repeatedly denied using live ammunition against demonstrators, and insist scores of security personnel have been wounded during protests which have occurred regularly since the October 25 coup.

A police general was stabbed to death last week.

On Tuesday the “Friends of Sudan” group calling for the restoration of the country’s transitional government held talks in Saudi Arabia over the crisis.

“Deep concern about yesterday’s violence. International support and leverage is needed. Support for political process needs to go along with active support to stop violence,” the UN’s Perthes said on Twitter, after attending the meeting virtually.

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News

DIPLOMACY

State House Press Office said the meeting at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri on Thursday evening discussed "regional security especially the conflict in...

World

KHARTOUM, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) — Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council and General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on...

World

2023 ended with wars burning in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. In 2024, conflicts in some of the world’s most treacherous flashpoints risk sparking a...

Africa

AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki said renewed fighting was forcing many civilians to flee for a second time since the outbreak of the conflict...

Africa

IGAD commended Hemetti's acceptance to "proposals of the Assembly for an unconditional ceasefire, resolution of the conflict through political dialogue and the holding of...

Africa

Although State House did not formally confirm the engagement, it came a week after Ruto separately met other actors in Sudan including General al-Burhan and...

Africa

The Troika, in a joint statement issued on Friday, singled out attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in West, Central and South...

World

Contestation and competition among states is increasingly testing the boundaries set in the UN Charter.