A Sudanese woman speaks during in a rally to protest against last year's military coup, in the capital Khartoum, on Jan. 30, 2022.-/AFP/Getty Images
One protester was killed as security forces confronted thousands of people protesting against military rule in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Sunday, medics linked to the demonstrations said.
The 27-year-old, Mohamed Yousef Ismail, was hit in the chest, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) said.
There was no immediate statement from the military rulers who have been trying to contain a series of protests across Sudan since they took power on Oct. 25.
Security forces fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowds who were marching in defiance of a ban on demonstrations, a Reuters reporter said.
Protesters got within about 2 km (1 mile) of the presidential palace on the banks of the Blue Nile before security forces blocked their way in the early afternoon and started chasing protesters back and forth.
“We go out to demonstrate so that our children can live under a civil, democratic state in the future. We won’t allow our children’s future to be confiscated,” protester Mohamed Abdelrahman, a 51-year-old government employee, said.
Armed soldiers and military vehicles were deployed across the capital for the first time in recent weeks in an apparent show of force.
Pictures and footage of rallies in other towns and cities across Sudan were posted on social media, though Reuters could not independently verify when the images were taken.
The October coup halted a power sharing arrangement between the military and civilians negotiated in 2019 after former president Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in an uprising.
On Saturday, Khartoum State authorities issued a decision banning processions and mass gatherings in central Khartoum, urging people to gather instead in squares and local areas.
At least 79 civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in crack-downs on the protests, mainly by gunshots and teargas canisters, according to the CCSD.
Military leaders say peaceful protests are allowed and protest casualties will be investigated.
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