South Darfur authorities disperse protests in Nyala
May 4, 2019 (NYALA) – The security forces in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, Saturday dispersed a large protest by displaced persons of Otash camp by firing tear gas and broke up a peaceful sit-in outside the army headquarters.
A large crowd of Otash IDPs camp, northeast of Nyala, marched at least three kilometres before to reach the state government buildings to hand over a memorandum demanding to improve services in the camp and raise rations.
But the security forces did not allow them to reach the government premises and dispersed them with excessive violence and fired shots in the air, causing panic among the displaced, mostly women and children.
The governor of South Darfur, Major General Hashim Khalid Mahmoud, told a news conference that the procession coming from Otash began peacefully but was turned into acts of sabotage and riots, which forced the security forces to intervene and disperse the crowd by firing tear gas.
He explained that the participants in the protest, about 5000 people, attacked the armed forces after their arrival to the headquarters of the 16th Infantry Division.
“The demonstrators attacked the armed forces and tried to seize their cars,” he said.
The military governor confirmed that 5 soldiers were wounded by stones and white weapons of the protesters, denying the injury of civilians.
But a source at the Nyala Teaching Hospital confirmed to Sudan Tribune that two IDPs suffered gunshot wounds.
He said riot police then attacked the hospital’s emergency section and severely beat the citizens, wounding at least six people and arresting four of the displaced persons.
The governor decided to ban protests in the state and to disperse the sit-in in front of the headquarters of the 16th division to miss the opportunity to those “who seek to undermine security”, as he said.
Dozens were protesting at the military headquarters in Nyala in support of the sit-in at the army headquarters in Khartoum to demand the handover of power to a civilian government.
The governor said that the protesters were planning to set fire to the headquarters of the humanitarian aid commission in Nyala after they set fire to her office at the camp two days ago.
Dozens were protesting at the military headquarters in Nyala in support of the sit-in at the army headquarters in Khartoum to demand the handover of power to a civilian government.
The governor said that the protesters were planning to set fire to the headquarters of the humanitarian aid commission in Nyala after they set fire to her office at the camp two days ago.
OPPOSITION CONDEMNS
The forces of freedom and change condemned in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune the intervention of security forces and the use of forces to disperse the peaceful sit-ins in Nyala and Zalingei, and considered it “a serious threat to the revolution and its gains.”
“We in the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change reject categorically and condemn the violence of the security services, which led to many injuries and suffocation”.
The statement accused the “remnants of the former regime and its pockets” in the organs of the state” of continuing to hold power.
(ST)