Calls for investigation after deadly crackdown on Sudanese protests

Demonstrations have been continuing in Sudan as citizens demand an end to military rule, with the death toll rising to at least 113 protesters killed since the military coup last October.

Last Thursday, the internet was shut down for about 20 hours during protests when tens of thousands of civilians took to the streets of the Sudanese capital Khartoum and its twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri; at least nine people were killed. Participants and Sudanese activists abroad had been sharing photographs and videos of the demonstrations on social media using the hashtag #EyesOnSudan.

“It is unacceptable for the military in Sudan to continue to perpetrate brutalities against the Sudanese people during protests whenever the internet is shut down. This impunity must be condemned by all,” tweeted Felicia Anthonio, a campaigner who works with Access Now on their #KeepItOn campaign, which fights against internet shutdowns.

“I’m receiving disturbing reports about the repression and killings of protesters,” tweeted Clement Voule, UN special rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly. “The military authorities must immediately stop the use of (lethal) force, restore internet and mobile services and listen to protesters’ demands.”

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the nine people who died last Thursday included a 15-year-old. She called for “an independent, transparent, thorough, and impartial investigation into the response by the security forces. According to medical sources, most of those killed were shot in the chest, head, and back. Security forces also arrested at least 355 protesters across the country, including at least 39 women and a considerable number of children.”

Sudan’s long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019 after months of protests but attempts to transition the country into civilian rule came into doubt before a military coup, led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was carried out in October 2021. A state of emergency imposed in the aftermath was only lifted in late May.

“Sudanese people’s deep desires for democracy must be taken seriously. We have earned that,” Hala al-Karib, a Sudanese activist for women’s rights and regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, told The Irish Times by email on Monday. “Dozens of young men and women are being killed by the bullets of the Sudanese military and armed militia. This violence should be stopped.”

Ms Al-Karib said the international community must play a role, holding those behind the coup responsible for atrocities carried out in Sudan and the killing of protesters, while past and present perpetrators of war crimes and violence in Darfur should also be held accountable.

“The international community should invest in Sudan’s pro-democracy movements and a meaningful democratic transition in Sudan,” she said.