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Sudanese stone-throwing protesters fought security forces in Khartoum on Thursday, witnesses said. A child and a doctor were reportedly killed at the beginning of a fifth week of protests against the 30-year reign of President Omar al-Bashir.
Demonstrations also broke out in six other cities during the most widespread unrest since the unrest began on 19 December. The Sudan Medical Committee, a group linked to the opposition, said that the doctor and the child were killed by gunshot wounds during the violence. .
Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of a government-affiliated private hospital in the Burri district of Khartoum, where activists said the two men had died as a result of their injuries. The demonstrations continued on Friday morning.
The protesters chanted: "Freedom" and "Until the morning we stay," showed a video sequence.
The police could not be contacted immediately to comment on the reported deaths.
The protests were triggered by rising prices and lack of liquidity, but quickly turned into demonstrations against Bashir.
During the most violent clashes of the day, police in Burri fired rubber bullets and tear gas and chased demonstrators with batons, witnesses said. Tear gas was inflicted on several people, while some were injured by rubber bullets and others were beaten.
Hundreds of young men and women have blocked streets and driveways with burning tires, witnesses said. Some threw stones at the security forces. Many recited the song that became the screaming call of protesters: "Down, that's all," to send the message that their only request is the fall of Bashir.
The protesters also provoked the security forces by expressing each time that a protester who was throwing stones hit the police, witnesses said.
A live video posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed that security forces were pointing weapons at protesters in Burri. A rifle sound could be heard.
"Why are you shooting?"
In the video, a protester shouted, "Why are you shooting?" As protesters, some wearing masks to protect themselves from tear gas, bent down to avoid shooting. It was not clear whether real or rubber bullets were used. A man who appeared to be injured and had blood stains on his shirt was blown away.
"There were people shooting at us," a protester told Reuters.
He said he saw five people collapse on the ground, adding that he was not sure he had been hit by rubber bullets or live ammunition. He said he saw a few more wounded being transported. Security forces blocked the area and the wounded were unable to reach the hospital, he said.
Instead, they were treated in an improvised emergency room inside a house. At one point, security forces approached the makeshift clinic and fired tear gas while the wounded were being treated, three witnesses said.
A police spokesperson could not be immediately contacted to comment on the witnesses' accounts of the clashes in Burri.
Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Al Qadarif, Atbara, Port Sudan, Al-Dueim, Omdurman and Al-Ubayyid, firing flames of tear gas from the police, witnesses said.
Security forces sometimes used live ammunition to disperse demonstrations. The official record is 24, including two members of the security forces. Amnesty International said more than 40 people were killed.
BASHIR BLAMES "FOREIGN AGENTS"
Bashir blamed the protests on foreign "agents" and said the unrest would not lead to a change of government, challenging his opponents to seek power through the ballot box.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said Thursday that she was deeply concerned by reports of excessive use of force by security forces Sudanese.
"The government must ensure that security forces treat demonstrations in accordance with the country's international human rights obligations by facilitating and protecting the right of peaceful badembly," said Bachelet, a former president. Chilean.
Sudan has experienced economic difficulties since the loss of three quarters of its oil output – its main source of foreign exchange – when South Sudan seceded in 2011, retaining the bulk of the oil fields.
The protests began in Atbara, northeastern Sudan, a month ago when several thousand people took to the streets after the government raised prices for bread and fuel to reduce the cost of subsidies. .
Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for his accusations of genocide in the Darfur region, which he denied, had lobbied to be wiped off the list of countries, along with Syria, Iran and the United States. North Korea, which Washington considers a state. sponsors of terrorism.
This list has prevented an influx of investments and financial aid that Sudan was hoping for when the United States lifted the sanctions in 2017, according to economists.
Sudan has rapidly expanded its money supply to try to finance its budget deficit, which has led to rampant inflation and a sharp decline in the value of its currency.
Sudan's inflation rate rose from 68.93 percent in November to 72.94 percent in December, the official SUNA news agency reported.
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