Sudanese continue to protest as their movement enters its fourth month

March 21, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Protesters took to the streets in the Sudanese capital and several other towns across the country in their weekly protest every Thursday, calling for the downfall of the regime.

The demonstrations were organized in Al-Obied of North Kordofan, Port Sudan, Red Sea State, Kassala town, Gadaref, Madani, and several towns in Khartoum state including Omdurman, Khartoum North and Khartoum.

The different marches, coordinated by the Sudanese Professionals Associations (SPA) chanted anti-government slogans calling on President Omer al-Bashir to step down and denounced the crimes committed by the regime.

The SPA dubbed the demonstrations of 21 March as the “Procession for Justice” to remember all the war and political crimes committed by the government.

In two alerts released in the evening, the group said the security forces surround the protesters in Shambat, Khartoum North and Aburouf, Omdurman.

As the protests have entered in their fourth month, the security forces gradually during this month of March reduced the use of violence against the demonstrations.

Officials in Khartoum say trivializing demonstrations help to demobilize the protests in the long term, pointing that the use of violence and detention victimize the protesters and draw more popular support for their cause.

Recently, the opposition said the government reduced the excessive use of force against the demonstrators to please U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis during his visit to Khartoum.

According to the government, over 30 protesters have been killed by the security forces since the eruption of demonstrations in December 2018 but human rights groups and activists say more than 50 people lost their lives during the past three months.

(ST)