Sudan’s Bashir tells police to avoid excessive use of force against protests
December 30, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir called on police forces to refrain from the use of excessive force to quell demonstrators, recalling that their duty is to maintain security not to kill civilians.
Al-Bashir made his remarks during a meeting with the police leaders in Burri suburb, east of Khartoum, hours before an announced large demonstration in the Sudanese capital on Monday afternoon to demand Bashir to step down.
According to the government, 19 people have been killed since the eruption of protests across the country over the increase in bread prices on 19 December. Amnesty International said the death toll reached 34 people and the opposition Sudan Call spoke about 40 people.
Bashir told the senior police officers that the country is facing an economic crisis and expressed confidence in the ability to overcome it through the good management of the economy “in spite of all those who try to bring down Sudan through the economic crisis,” he said without going into detail.
He further said that sabotage, destruction, looting and stealing are not a solution to the crisis but deepening the problem.
“Therefore it is our duty not to allow the sabotage, riots and destruction of public and private property because it does not address the crisis, but deepens it”.
“We, God willing, will not relinquish the security of the citizen, the security of the homeland or the security of public and private property. Because it is the duty of the state to maintain security but without arbitrariness by applying all internal security principles and using the least possible force,” he said before to repeat “the goal is not to kill the citizens, but the ultimate goal is to maintain the security of the citizens.”
Al-Bashir statements about the reduction of the use of force and violence raised a heated debate in the country through the social media as many saw in it as a tacit invitation to kill protesters.
The Sudanese president concluded his speech by pointing to the civil war and destruction in some Arab countries that witnessed popular uprisings that turned into civil wars.
“We don’t want our country to go the way other countries in the region have gone,” he said without naming Libya, Syria or Yemen.
“We will not allow our people to be refugees. If this happens where can we go in this region?” He said in a way to tell the protests that he will not resign as they demand.
(ST)