Continental Focus, International Reach

Death Toll Rises in Khartoum Sit-in Attack

Monday, June 10, 2019

The number of dead in an attack on a sit-in of pro-democracy protesters that took place in Sudan on June 3 has risen to 100. Originally the number of dead reported was 60, but 40 more bodies were recovered from the Nile River, according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD).

The number rose after bodies were found dumped in the river by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), said the CCSD, which is close to the protesters. A report from CNN cited eyewitnesses as saying that the police and RSF shot at protesters. Several videos showed security forces beating people with sticks.

The head of Sudan’s ruling military council, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has ordered an investigation into the deaths.

The UAE has called the event a “massacre” and an investigation into the incident. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said “We are concerned about the massacre we’ve seen. We support calls for proper investigation,” Gargash said at the Globsec security and policy conference. “We think it has complicated issues. We recognize that after 30 years of Bashir’s rule you won’t have a unified opposition, the only way forward is really a dialogue,” he said.

Videos showed billowing smoke and scenes of panic as troops tried to break up the main opposition sit-in.

The protestors are calling on the Transitional Military Council, which has ruled the country since troops ousted President Omar al Bashir two months ago, to step down and make way for a civilian-led interim government.


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