Sudanese security forces dispersed demonstrators and rounded up more than 100 people in the capital of Khartoum on Sunday. This is the latest crackdown on democratic protesters following the military coup last month.
The Sudanese military seized power on October 25, disbanded the transitional government and arrested dozens of officials and politicians. The coup drew international criticism and large-scale protests on the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.
More than two years after a popular uprising forced the long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir and his Islamic government to step down, the acquisition overturned the country’s fragile transition to democratic rule.
According to the Sudan Professional Association, which led the opposition to Bashir’s uprising, teachers and educators protested the coup outside the Ministry of Education in the Bahri district of Khartoum.
Lawyer Moez Hadra said that security forces used tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested at least 113 people, most of them teachers. He said there were also sporadic protests elsewhere in Khartoum.
For the first time since the coup, local authorities have announced the resumption of classes in schools in the capital.
Sunday was the first day of a two-day national strike launched by the SPA. The SPA vowed to continue the protest until a complete civilian government was established to lead the transition. According to a video reporter from the Associated Press, several shops and businesses in Khartoum are open.
According to a military official with knowledge of the ongoing efforts, the new crackdown also occurred when mediation efforts between the military and civilian leaders were in trouble.
The official said that mediators, including the UN Special Envoy in Sudan, are still working to soften the positions of the two parties because the two sides still insist on their respective prerequisites before conducting “meaningful and possibly direct talks.” Anonymous because he has no right to inform the media.
The deposed prime minister Abdullah Hamdok is still under house arrest in his Khartoum residence. He insisted on releasing government officials and politicians detained in connection with the coup. The official said that he also hopes to “guarantee” that the military will return to the pre-coup power-sharing arrangement.
The official said that, on the other hand, the military insisted that the events of October 25 did not constitute a “coup d’état” but intervened to “correct the transitional process.”
The military issued a mixed signal. According to lawyer Hadra, it allowed four ministers to return home during house arrest. The four include the Minister of Information and Culture Hamza Baru, the Minister of Communications Hasabel-Rasul, the Minister of Trade and International Cooperation Ali Gedu, and the Minister of Youth and Sports Youssef Adam. They are one of more than 100 government officials and politicians detained after the coup.
The military also arrested three leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change, an alliance born out of the 2019 protest movement, shortly after they met with UN officials in Khartoum. This meeting is part of a mediation effort led by the United Nations.
Magdy reports from Cairo.
© 2021 Canadian Press
