Heavy gunfire was heard at a protest outside the defence ministry in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Tuesday, live broadcast by Arab TV stations showed, and activists said that security forces were trying to break up the protest by force. Activists said in a statement posted on social media that army soldiers guarding the ministry were trying to protect the demonstrators.

Both Al-Hadath TV and Al Jazeera broadcast live footage in which heavy gunfire was heard and people were running for cover. They said it was an attempt by security forces to disperse the demonstrators.

Sudan has been rocked by months of small but persistent protests that were sparked by bread price rises and cash shortages. The demonstrations later turned against President Omar al-Bashir, a former paratrooper who had been in office since 1989.

The protests escalated on Saturday, when activists, trying to push the country’s armed forces to side with them, marched towards a compound in the centre of the capital housing the defence ministry as well as Bashir’s residence and the country’s security headquarters and camped out there.

Security forces have made several attempts to break up the protest, but army soldiers have repeatedly come out to protect the demonstrators, often firing shots in the air and deploying soldiers on streets around the protesters. </s> Forces belong to the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support have surrounded the Nile Street in the capital Khartoum for reportedly implementing a "security plan" around the weeks-long sit-in.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, eyewitnesses said the security forces surrounded the street from the eastern and western directions. On Thursday, a civilian was shot dead in the same area, "as a result of fire opened by the regular forces," according to the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA).

On the same day, the country’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) announced that the sit-in, which has been staged in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum, became a "security threat and a threat to the cohesion of the country."

The deadly incident occurred on the second day of a nationwide general strike organized by opposition groups with a view to pressuring Sudan’s TMC to relinquish power to a civilian authority. Early in April, Sudan’s military establishment deposed President Omar al-Bashir following months of popular protests against his 30-year rule. </s> Sudan: At least 10 killed as protesters return to the streets

Sudan: At least 10 killed as protesters return to the streets

Protesters are demanding the military hand power over to civilians

At least 10 people have been killed and more than 180 wounded across Sudan as protesters returned to the streets to call for the ruling military council to hand power to the people.

In the biggest demonstrations since a deadly raid by security forces on a protest camp in Khartoum three weeks ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in several parts of the Sudanese capital.

In two areas near the presidential palace and in the eastern neighbourhood of Riyadh, they were met by security forces firing barrages of tear gas, witnesses said.

A senior military official said unknown snipers had shot at civilians and paramilitary soldiers during the demonstration.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is the deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), in a televised statement: "There are snipers shooting at people, they shot three members of RSF and five or six citizens."

He added: "We are upset and we want to get things under control."

The general gave no more information on the affiliation of the gunmen, and if anyone had died.

Sudanese activist Nazim Sirraj said three further bodies had been discovered on Monday near a school in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum.

He said they had been shot.



Video clips showed demonstrators running away from security forces in the streets of Khartoum and seeking shelter, AP said.

Troops and riot police on a highway leading to Khartoum's international airport allowed some protesters to pass through but a protest leader said security forces used tear gas to disperse people in Omdurman and the district of Bahri in the capital. Tens of thousands had taken to the streets in cities across the country earlier repeating their call for civilian rule nearly three months after the army forced out dictator Omar al Bashir.

The marches marked the 30th anniversary of the Islamist-backed coup that brought Bashir to power in 1989, toppling Sudan's last elected government.

Bashir was removed by the military in April amid mass protests against his rule, but the calls for the military to hand over power completely have continued.

On Sunday, protesters chanted anti-military slogans like "Burhan's council, just fall", referring to General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council.

Much of the protesting has been co-ordinated by the Sudan Professionals' Association (SPA), made up of a people with jobs that often require years in education, like teachers, lawyers and engineers.

Talks between the two sides over a power-sharing agreement collapsed earlier this month following a crackdown from the authorities.

In the following weeks, at least 128 people across the county have been killed, according to protest organisers.

Sudanese authorities say 61 have died, including three from security forces.

Efforts by the African Union and Ethiopia have been under way to bring about an end to the crisis and reach a deal over setting up a new transitional government.

The military council said Friday it was ready to resume "immediate, serious and honest" talks but the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, said talks could only begin once those in power have officially approved the AU-Ethiopian proposal. </s> KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.

The Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.

Two people were killed in the area last week.

The doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.

Tens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.

Tensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster. </s> KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military’s headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.

The Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.

Two people were killed in the area last week.

The doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.

Tens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.

Tensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir’s ouster. </s> KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - Sudanese military officials said Sunday that troops were attempting to remove “drug dealers and other criminals” from an area located near a protest sit-in in the capital, Khartoum. This comes a day after a Sudanese medical union said one person was shot dead by security forces in the same area, located along the banks of the Nile river.

The man, in his 20s, was the third killed in less than a week in the area around Nile street, which the military officials described as “lawless.”

On Thursday, security forces killed a 20-year-old man, while the previous day, a gunfight between security forces had erupted near the sit-in, killing a female street vendor by mistake.

The area is not far from where tens of thousands of protesters have been camped outside the military’s headquarters, the epicenter of Sudan’s uprising that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.

The protesters are now calling for “limited military representation” in a sovereign council that would lead the country as it transitions to civilian rule over a three-year period.

The military officials said the Nile street area was being “cleared” by forces mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo - better known as Hemedti - who serves as deputy head of the ruling military council. The officials said security agencies have been attempting to carry out a “security plan to clear the area and put an end to such criminal acts.” Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

The Sudan Doctors Committee said in a statement Saturday that at least 11 people were wounded when “regular forces opened fire on Nile Street near the sit-in area.” The statement did not identify which forces were implicated in the fire.

The doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests.

Amid these increased tensions and deadlocked transition talks, the leading opposition Umma Party warned on Sunday of an attempt to break up the sit-in and called for the military council to resume negotiations with the protesters.

“There is no choice except to negotiate… to overcome the conflicts at these critical times that threaten the state and the county’s integrity,” the party said in a statement.

Both sides are split over the make-up and leadership of the sovereign council, with the ruling generals refusing to relinquish power.

The protesters are represented by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, an alliance of opposition groups and activists. </s> CAIRO (AP) - Sudanese activists say a protester injured in anti-government demonstrations has died of his wounds.

An umbrella coalition of independent professional unions says Wednesday the victim, Abuzar Ahmed, was shot in the head last week in the eastern city of Gadaref.

The coalition says at least 22 protesters were wounded on Tuesday.

There were no reports of fresh protests on Wednesday.

The protests began last week, initially over rising prices and shortages of food and fuel, but later escalated into calls for President Omar Bashir to step down.

Amnesty International said it had "credible reports" that Sudanese police have killed 37 protesters since the protests began.

In this Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018 handout image provided a Sudanese activist, people chant slogans during a demonstration in Kordofan, Sudan. In the capital Khartoum on Tuesday, police used tear gas and fired in the air to disperse thousands of protesters attempting to march on the presidential palace to demand that Omar Bashir, Sudan's president of 29 years, step down, according to activists and video clips posted online. (Sudanese Activist via AP)

The government has acknowledged fatalities during the protests but given no figures. An opposition leader said over the weekend that 22 protesters were killed. </s> Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least nine people were reported to have been killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Footage broadcast by al-Hadath and Jazeera television showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit, the footage showed.

The main protest group accused the ruling military council of trying to break up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. But the council said the security forces had targeted criminals in an adjacent area.

The protesters and Sudan’s military rulers had been negotiating over who should govern in a transitional period following the overthrow of Bashir after months of generally peaceful demonstrations, but the talks have become deadlocked.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) has offered to let protesters form a government but insists on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. The demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.

Thousands of young men and women have been taking turns to camp outside the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December.

The opposition’s doctors committee said nine people had been killed in Monday’s violence.

“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” the protest group said in a statement.

It urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.

The military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.

“The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”

The council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks on a civilian transition soon, Kabbashi added.

The British Ambassador in Khartoum said he had heard heavy gunfire for more than an hour from his residence and he was extremely concerned.

“No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” Ambassador Irfan Siddiq wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum also described the attack on the protest camp as “wrong” and said it must stop.

“Responsibility falls on the TMC. The TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan,” the embassy said on its Twitter account.

The television footage showed black smoke rising from tents apparently torched by the raiding force.

Protesters poured into the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, on the opposite side of the River Nile, after news of the raid spread. Demonstrators blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres, witnesses said.

Demonstrators, some waving Sudanese flags, hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire.

A video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appeared as live fire.

A Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.

Bridges over the Nile have also been blocked.

There were no signs of any security forces in Omurdam.

Under Bashir, an Islamist former general who ruled for three decades and is wanted by international prosecutors for alleged war crimes in the Darfur region, Sudan was on a U.S. list of sponsors of terrorism.

Various powers, including wealthy Gulf Arab states, and now trying to influence its path. Stability is crucial for the security of a volatile region struggling against Islamist insurgencies, from the Horn of Africa through Egypt and Libya. </s> At least four school children and one adult were shot dead when security forces broke up a student protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid on Monday, campaigners said.

Gunfire rang out as teenagers rallied against fuel and bread shortages in the capital of North Kordofan state, residents said, at a time of heightened tension between opposition campaigners and Sudan's military rulers.

The Forces of Freedom and Change coalition of opposition groups accused military and paramilitary forces of opening fire on the high school pupils and called for nationwide protests in response.

There was no immediate statement from Sudan's ruling military council.

The acting governor of North Kordofan, Mohamed Khidr Mohamed Hamid, told Al-Arabiya TV there had been a "slight friction" between protesters and security forces. He said he could not confirm who opened fire and a committee would investigate.

A building belonging to the Bank of Khartoum was set on fire during the unrest in El-Obeid, 400 km (250 miles) southwest of the capital Khartoum, residents told Reuters.

Videos circulating on social media purported to show pupils protesting outside El-Obeid's main hospital against the killings and injuries.

Hundreds of teenagers in uniform chanted "blood for blood, we will not accept blood money" in the footage. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.

A member of a professional body of pharmacists linked to the opposition captured a video and photographs that he said showed a corpse and several wounded young men inside El-Obeid Teaching Hospital.

Opposition activists, unions and professional groups launched nationwide protests against mounting economic hardships and long-term leader Omar al-Bashir in December last year.

The military ousted Bashir in April as the protests and shortages persisted. But activists kept up their demonstrations, pressing for the military to speed up the move to civilian rule and calling for justice for people killed during a raid on a sit-in protest in Khartoum in June.

The Forces of Freedom and Change coalition called for Monday's attackers in El-Obeid to be held accountable and for the ruling military council to immediately agree to the details of a new transitional authority.

"Forces belonging to the army and Rapid Support (paramilitary force) indiscriminately and violently fired this afternoon at peaceful demonstrations of secondary school students in El-Obeid," the coalition said in a statement.

"Only a civilian authority is capable of carrying out independent investigations into all crimes,” it added.

Sudan's state news agency SUNA said that North Kordofan authorities had closed all schools across the state until further notice and described the events as "regrettable".

El-Obeid residents said a funeral would be held on Tuesday for those killed.

In Khartoum, a Reuters witness said dozens of protesters took to the streets in several neighbourhoods after hearing about the El-Obeid violence.

The head of an official Sudanese investigation said on Saturday 87 people were killed when security forces broke up a sit-in protest in Khartoum on June 3, a figure that prompted demonstrations across the capital as opponents of Sudan's military rulers dismissed it as far too low.
Heavy gunfire is reported in the Sudanese capital Khartoum as Rapid Support Forces loyal to President Omar al-Bashir attempted to break-up an anti-government protest outside the military's headquarters, killing at least 14 people, including five Sudanese soldiers who defected to the opposition.