Sudanese authorities say death toll from raid on protest site reached 61 people
June 6, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – An investigation committee set up by Sudan’s public prosecutor has started a probe into the circumstances of violence at the main protest site outside the army headquarters on 3 June, as the health ministry said the death toll has reached 61 people.
On the other hand, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from the raid on the sit-in area and its aftermath had reached 61 deaths in Khartoum and other states.
The health authorities were reacting to reports by a pro-democracy group, Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) saying more than 108 people have been killed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militiamen led by the deputy head of the military council.
Sudanese Health Ministry Undersecretary Suleiman Abdel Jabbar told a news conference on Thursday that his ministry had the means to know the number of deaths in Khartoum and other states.
Jabbar pointed out that all the cadavers in Khartoum state are transferred to three sites which are the morgue of Omdurman Hospital, the morgue of the Academic Hospital in Khartoum and the morgue of the Hospital Albashair in South Belt area.
“The bodies that arrived at these sites from the first day of the events until now are 61 linked to the events, in addition to 22 others that are unrelated to the events of the sit-in,” he added.
The death toll during the first day was at 13 people and the rest of the deaths occurred in the following days. Also, there are cases in the other states, including 4 deaths in the West Darfur State as a result of a shot and one case in the Gedaref State as a result of a shot.
“The total death toll, so far, is 61 deaths due to the raid of the sit-in area and the repercussions that followed it. There were 6 (victims) under the age of 18, one woman in the forties, and three belonging to the regular forces” he said before to add that there are 43 bodies that have been identified.
Suleiman urged Sudanese who have information about deaths related to the raid on the protest site to report to the Ministry of Health.
He pointed out that the medical file of the sit-in is followed by a joint committee composed of representatives of the health ministry, international organisations and local NGOs including the Central Medical Committee.
(ST)