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CAIRO – The Sudanese doctors' union said Friday that a crackdown by the government after weeks of demonstrations had left at least 57 people dead, including three who reportedly died of torture in police custody.
The death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured protesters are in serious condition, the doctors' union said in a statement.
Sudan has been stormed by anti-government protests nationwide since mid-December. The protests were triggered by rising prices and shortages, but quickly turned into calls for the departure of autocratic president Omar al-Bashir.
According to the doctors' union, the authorities trying to disperse demonstrations have used too much tear gas, particularly in residential areas, homes and hospitals.
The union said 28 doctors had been arrested and another had been shot while he was treating injured protesters.
Hundreds of protesters were injured, according to reports previously received by activists who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The union's statement came one day after the chief investigator concluded that Ahmed al-Khair, a 33-year-old teacher who died in detention a week ago, was beaten to death. The government claimed that he had died of food poisoning.
Amer Ibrahim, chairman of the supreme investigation committee, said Thursday that police forensic reports showed that Al-Khair had been beaten on his body, causing complications that led to his death.
Al-Khair was arrested by the Sudanese authorities after protests in the city of Khashm el-Girba, Kbadala province. The death of the teacher in detention became a rallying cry for the protesters.
Unpopular economic policies have helped trigger unrest.
A devaluation of the currency in October pushed up prices. The lifting of state subsidies on bread was the last straw that triggered the protests. A lack of cash also resulted in long queues at ATMs and limits on cash withdrawals. A shortage of fuel led to long wait times at the service stations.
Al-Bashir, who took power during a military coup in 1989, insists that only elections, which he intends to dispute, will result in a change. Wanted for genocide by the International Criminal Court, Al-Bashir has warned several times that the protests could plunge Sudan into chaos that would convulse other countries in the region.
In December, the Sudanese parliament, which is full of members of the party of the National Congress of al-Bashir, called for a constitutional amendment to allow the president to fulfill his mandate in an unlimited manner. He was elected in 2010 and 2015.
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