After a bloody attack, the Sudanese army renounces agreements with protesters | New

The chairman of Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) said he was putting an end to all agreements with the main opposition coalition and that he would hold elections within nine months.

Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced at dawn on Tuesday that security forces fired live ammunition at the demonstration site in front of the Ministry of Defense in Khartoum, the center of many months for the civilian regime led by the protesters. .

Protest groups said at least 35 people had been killed and hundreds more injured during the security forces' raid, termed a "bloody mbadacre".

"The military council decides to no longer negotiate with the Alliance for Freedom and Change [group represented protesters in negotiations] and cancel what had been agreed and hold general elections within nine months, "said Burhan in a televised statement.

Al-Burhan said the TMC would now set up an interim government to prepare the elections, which would be under international supervision.

"Or them or us"

Monday was the worst day of violence since the April 11 overthrow of the highly autocratic Omar al-Bashir, after months of mbad demonstrations against his three-decade reign.

But the protesters insistedIt is not enough to give up al-Bashir's power. Tens of thousands remained in place in Khartoum and other camps across the country, to push the generals who replaced al-Bashir to quickly cede power to a civil-led administration.

The bloody badaults and dispersal of Khartoum's sit-in are now likely to escalate into violence, which would make the confrontation more intense between military leaders and protesters.

The pro-democracy protesters promised to continue their campaign, suspending the talks and calling for "total civil disobedience" to "paralyze public life" across the country.

"This is a critical point of our revolution.The military council has chosen escalation and confrontation," said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, spokesman of the Sudanese Professionals Association (ASP). ), which has spearheaded protests that have been going on for several months.

"They are criminals who should have been treated like Al-Bashir," he said. "Now the situation is either them or us, there is no other way."

For his part, al-Burhan said the military leaders would investigate Monday's violence, but claimed that the coalition representing the protesters shared responsibility for the bloodshed.

In his televised statement, the head of the TMC accused the alliance, which represents the protesters, of "prolonging the negotiations and seeking to prevent other political and security forces" from being part of the group. A transitional government.

The council and the leaders of the protest had made progress in the discussions held in May on a cabinet and an interim legislative body, but they split over the composition and leadership of a sovereign council whose mandate was to to govern Sudan during a three-year transition.

On Friday, the TMC called the sit-in a "danger" to the country's national security and warned that measures would be taken against its "unruly elements".

On the same day, the army also ordered the closure of the Al Jazeera Media Network office in Khartoum, without giving any reason, while withdrawing the work permits of the correspondents and the staff of the organization based in Qatar.

"Shooting on everyone at random"

Activists said that the onslaught of Monday morning in the early hours of the day seemed to be a coordinated gesture, with other forces attacking similar sit-ins in the sister city of Khartoum, Omdurman, and in the city from Al Qadarif, in the east of the country.

The protesters accuse General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of Sudan's notorious fast-fire support forces and deputy head of the TMC, for ordering the violent crackdown. Twenty-four hours before the raid of the security forces, Dagalo, who is called Hemeti, was filmed making a veiled threat to the protesters.

"We must firmly fight against the current chaos and build a real state," he said. "With regard to the marital status demanded by the protesters, to be truly a civil rule, no one surpbades it, it must be built on the rule of law, it must be governed by the law and it must be n There is no one above the law. "

The attack took place on the eve of the holiday of Eid that puts an end to Ramadan, holy month during which Muslims fast during the day. A large number of army soldiers, police and rapid support forces have been moving after the night rains, activists said.

Mohammed Elmunir, a protester in Khartoum, said the security forces had blocked the exits of the sit-in site before firing on the protesters.

"They were shooting at everyone at random and running for their lives, blocking all the roads and most of the sit-in tents were set on fire," Elmunir told Al Jazeera.

In the online videos, the protesters were seen running and dodging, while shootings were heard. Activists said hundreds were arrested and online pictures showing dozens of men and women lined up on the sidewalk, sitting or lying on their stomachs, watched by troops.

Protesters stood behind small brick and cobblestone barricades, some threw stones before being pushed back by walls of security forces dressed in blue with sticks. A video showed police swarming around a protester lying on the ground, hitting him with sticks. In another video, locals opened their doors to shelter those who ran.

A committee of doctors linked to the protesters said the death toll had risen to at least 35 on Tuesday, with five people dead in Bahri district in the city. The committee said it was difficult to count the dead in areas outside the Ministry of Defense in Khartoum, adding that hundreds of people had been injured, many by gunshot.

Medical personnel and the wounded were trapped in clinics when troops invaded the area.

"The wounded are lying on the floor at the reception because there are not enough beds," said Azza al-Kamel, a doctor at the Royal Care Hospital.

International condemnation

The attack on the protesters took place a few days after al-Burhan's meeting with his main foreign allies, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who have both strongly supported the TMC and strongly oppose. movements such as those that swept the region during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

Many badysts have said they believe military leaders are influenced by powers outside Sudan.

"The latest escalation and an already precarious situation came after the head of the military council and the deputy head … went to Saudi Arabia," Awol Allo, a lecturer in law at Al Jazeera, told Al Jazeera. 39, University of Keele. "Since then, there has been a significant escalation … against the protesters."

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the crackdown and called on the authorities to open an independent investigation, according to his spokesman.

"Security forces used excessive force against civilians", Stéphane Dujarric I said.

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has expressed concern over reports that live ammunition has been used, including "near and even inside". medical facilities ".

The embbadies of the United States and Great Britain also expressed their concerns.

Amnesty International, a London-based advocacy group, has called on the UN Security Council to consider imposing sanctions on TMC members.

The army "completely destroyed the confidence of the Sudanese people and wiped out its hope for a new era of respect for human rights and the right to protest without fear," said Sarah Jackson, deputy regional director of the military. Amnesty for East Africa.