Death toll mounts in Sudan protests amid growing unrest, rights groups say

April 9, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The number of people killed since the start of the protests near Sudan’s military headquarters on Saturday has now reached 21 including five soldiers, the Central Medical Doctors Committee announced today.

The committee also said in a press statement issued Tuesday that “the number of wounded during the protests amounted to 153 people, including critical conditions” and said the death toll will likely rise further.

In turn, the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi said at a press conference today that about 20 people were killed and dozens injured in attacks carried out at the sit-in of protesters demanding that the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir step down.

He explained that “masked gunmen are carrying out raids every day at dawn on the protesters, which led to the martyrdom of about twenty and wounding dozens and the attack on others.”

The Sudanese Interior Minister Bishara Juma Aru told parliament on Monday that the number of people killed since April 6 was 7, six in Khartoum and one in central Darfur.

Human rights groups called on Khartoum to put an immediate halt to violence against protestors.

“Sudan’s leaders need to bring an end to the violence against peaceful protesters. Such brutal crackdowns are unjustified, unlawful, and counterproductive,” said Jehanne Henry, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“They should respect the right of Sudanese people to peacefully protest,” she added.

Henry accused the Sudanese government of deliberately attacking protestors and locking up dissidents.

“Sudan’s government needs to call a halt to the violence, and to allow independent investigators into the country to investigate all the alleged killings and other violations”.

The UK-based Amnesty International (AI) echoed HRW saying that the killings are “unacceptable”.

“The Sudanese authorities must stop firing at protesters peacefully exercising their freedom of expression. The killing of people who are simply taking a stand for what they believe in is completely unacceptable,” said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

Nyanyuki also accused Khartoum of resorting to other tactics such as starving protestors.

“The move by the authorities to try to starve protesters and deny them access to communication is a clear attempt to silence and deny protesters their human rights. The government must immediately stop depriving people of food and water as a means of oppression,” said Joan Nyanyuki.

(ST)