Sudan protester shot dead as fasting demonstrators rally against coup

Despite high temperatures, tear gas and Ramadan fast, tens of thousands march in capital Khartoum and more in towns across the country, rejecting recent power grab by military that ousted ex-president Omar al Bashir.

The shooting brings to 94 the death toll since an October 25 military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan, medics say.
AP

The shooting brings to 94 the death toll since an October 25 military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan, medics say.

Sudanese security forces have killed a protester during the latest rallies against last year's military coup that has plunged the African country into political turmoil and aggravated its economic woes.

The 19-year-old was hit "by a bullet fired by coup forces" during the crackdown on the demonstration, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said on Wednesday.

The shooting brings to 94 the death toll since an October 25 military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan, the committee said.

Security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protesters in Khartoum and Omdurman, according to the Legitimate Doctors' Union.

Economic and security collapse 

Wednesday's protest was the latest in efforts to pressure the ruling generals, whose takeover has triggered near-daily street protests demanding civilian rule. 

Called by pro-democracy groups, the demonstrators marched in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman amid tight security around the presidential palace, which has seen violent clashes in previous protests.

There were also rallies elsewhere, including in Qadarif and Port Sudan in the east and the war-ravaged Darfur region in the west. Footage on social media, which corresponded with The Associated Press news agency reporting, shows young people setting tires on fire and blocking roads.

The army's takeover upended Sudan's transition to democracy after three decades of repression and international isolation under former president Omar al Bashir. 

It also sent the country's already fragile economy into free fall, with living conditions rapidly deteriorating. A popular uprising forced the military to remove Bashir and his government in April 2019.

READ MORE: Sudan rallies seek end to military rule, economic crisis

Third anniversary of protests

The latest protests come on the third anniversary of the beginning of a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum that accelerated the removal of Bashir.

They also come on the 37th anniversary of the overthrow of President Jaafar al Nimeiri in a bloodless coup in 1985 after a popular uprising. At the time, the military quickly handed power to an elected government.

However, the dysfunctional administration lasted only a few years until Bashir – a career army officer – toppled it in a 1989 coup.

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