Sudan military coup: Thousands gather for planned nationwide protests
Global News
In central Khartoum on Saturday there was a heavy military deployment of armed troops that included the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Thousands of protesters began gathering in Khartoum on Saturday for planned nationwide demonstrations to demand the restoration of a civilian-led government to put the country back on a path to democracy after a coup.
People carried Sudanese flags and chanted “Military rule can’t be praised” and “This country is ours, and our government is civilian” as they marched in neighborhoods across the capital.
Thousands of Sudanese have already taken to the streets this week to protest against the ousting of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s cabinet by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in a takeover that led Western states to freeze hundreds of millions in aid.
In central Khartoum on Saturday there was a heavy military deployment of armed troops that included the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Security forces had blocked roads leading to the defense ministry complex and the airport, as well as most of the bridges connecting Khartoum with its twin cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North.
At least 11 protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces this week and opponents fear a full-blown crackdown.
“The army should go back to its barracks and give the leadership to Hamdok,” said an activist who gave his name as Mohamed, who planned to protest. “Our demand is a civilian country, a democratic country, nothing less than that.”
In local neighborhoods, protest groups blocked roads overnight with stones, bricks, tree branches and plastic pipes to try to prevent any attempts by security forces to enter.