The protesters went anarchic after the death toll increased to 35 near Khartoum. (Image via: The National)

Protest in Sudan, 35 Killed

KHARTOUM - The military decided to be merciless. Near Khartoum Army Headquarter, Sudan, pro-democracy protesters had been camping to stand for democracy after the ouster of Omar al-Bashir in April. The ouster was also triggered by the campaign which started since December 2018

The goal of these protesters aligns with the goal of democracy: to let the people of Sudan be the ones leading the transition of power.

The military, though, had other ideas. They went to the flash point of the protest and released gunshots to disperse the protesters. The gunshots somehow cost 30 people on the loose, and some others were injured by the gunshots.

Recent update on Monday through a Facebook post, the toll increased to 35, with at least 1 child became the soulless victim of the shots. These bodies then were sunk into Nile River.

The incident was marked as the most violent, and the protesters promised to do even worse to the military. Spearheaded by Sudanese Professional Association (SPA), they held Transitional Military Council (TMC) accountable for the violence.

The protesters now have vowed march at nighttime and suspend talks with the government sides. In addition, protesters also will disobey military instruction, in order to show that people power could also affect society structure and continuity.

UN represented by Antonio Guteres, its Secretary General, condemned the usage of violence to disperse the protesters; moreover, after having heard that the military personnel chased some protesters into East Nile Hospital and opened fire inside the hospital. The world could not agree more, and they also condemned the violent act.

Nonetheless, TMC, represented by Lieutenant Shams El Din Kabbashi, debunked the gunfire at hospital allegation, stating that they were only chasing some protesters who ran into hospital to hide. In addition, he stated that TMC is willing to open negotiation with the protesters.

African Union urged the two sides to just sit nicely and negotiate, instead of using violence. Qatar and Germany nodded their heads to African Union’s statement.

“This military violence only proved that Sudan is going backward from the revival of its stability, as people’s distrust toward military grows stronger,” said Rosalind Marsden, former UK ambassador for Sudan. She added that UN has to intervene, should the aggression intensify.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/massacre-sudan-forces-kill-30-protesters-190603163458318.html