The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, an independent union of medics have confirmed on Monday that eight protesters have so far been killed, including a girl, 13, who had suffered a shot to the head, bringing the total number killed since last month’s military takeover to 23.
More than 200 wounded have been attended to so far, including 100 injured with live bullets, while some also received wounds from rubber bullets and tear gas, said the Medics.
Sudanese Police Authority however denied using live rounds but that it only used minimum force to dispel the protesters who they accused of attacking police stations adding that the protesters veered off course in a demonstration that began peacefully.
State television also reported that 39 police personnel have been severely wounded in confrontations with protesters during the latest demonstration which started after Sudan’s top general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on 25 October declared a state of emergency, ousted the government, and detained the civilian leadership.
Demonstrators who have been rallying since the military take-over disseminated calls for protests via graffiti and SMS messages despite internet outages and disruptions of communication lines.
Burhan however insisted that the military’s move on October 25 was not a coup but a push to “rectify the course of the transition and has called for the formation of a new council that includes figures from the military and from ex-rebel groups from the deposed council and other little-known civilians who replaced members of the Forces for Freedom and Change, the main civilian bloc which spearheaded the 2019 protests against former president Omar al-Bashir.
