Despite a crackdown that has seen at least 48 people killed in protest-related violence, pro-democracy activists have continued to hold public protests against the army’s October 25 coup, according to the independent Doctors’ Committee.
Army, police, and paramilitary patrols crisscrossed Khartoum’s streets, while shipping containers blocked the Nile bridges that connect the capital to its northern suburbs and Omdurman, its twin city. On December 26, when tens of thousands of people marched to the streets, the bridges were closed. New security cameras had been put on main thoroughfares along which protestors were expected to march for Thursday’s scheduled rallies.
Activists use the internet for organising demonstrations and broadcasting live footage of the rallies. The US embassy appealed for restraint from the government led by military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which had been counting on a controversial November partnership deal with civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to calm public anger. “The US embassy reiterates its support for peaceful expression of democratic aspiration, and the need to respect and protect individuals exercising free speech,” a statement said.
“We call for extreme discretion in use of force and urge authorities to refrain from employing arbitrary detention.” Activists have condemned sexual attacks during December 19 protests, in which the UN said at least 13 women and girls were raped. Hamdok had been held under effective house arrest for weeks before being reinstated under the November deal, which promised elections for July 2023. But the deal was widely criticised as a gift to the military that gave a cloak of legitimacy to its coup. Sudan still has no functioning government, a prerequisite for the resumption of international aid cut in response to the coup.
Over 14 million people, a third of Sudan’s population, will need humanitarian aid next year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the highest level for a decade.