04/08/2019

One dead in protests in Sudan

Human rights organization condemns use of live ammunition – Those responsible for violence must be held accountable (Press Release)

Yesterday, Sudan witnessed its largest mass protests in decades. More than 100,000 people gathered in the capital Khartoum, demanding the army to no longer support the controversial president. There were public protests against the government in all 18 states. Photo: UNAMID via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Following the violent death of a doctor in the course of public protests in Sudan, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) condemns the use of live ammunition in crackdowns on protests in the country. The human rights organization emphasized that those responsible for the violence against peaceful protesters must be punished. "The peaceful protests of hundreds of thousands of people against the reign of dictator Omar Hassan al Bashir have now been going on for 110 days. The disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters shows that the Bashir regime doesn’t care about human rights," said Delius. More than 60 people have lost their lives in clashes since the beginning of the mass protests on December 19, 2018. The protesters are demanding an end to the reign of President Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide crimes.

Yesterday, Sudan witnessed its largest mass protests in decades. More than 100,000 people gathered in the capital Khartoum, demanding the army to no longer support the controversial president. There were public protests against the government in all 18 states. In the course of a demonstration in Omdurman, a town near Khartoum, the doctor Muiz Atta Allah Musa was shot by the security forces. His death was confirmed by the Sudanese Doctors Organization CCSD (Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors). Further, three people suffered gunshot wounds and five people suffered injuries through the use of tear gas.

"It has to be clarified whether the security forces attacked the doctor deliberately. Human rights organizations are very worried about the increasing attacks against doctors and other medical professionals in crackdowns on protests," Delius stated. Two doctors and two medical students have so far been killed in the course of the protests, and 136 medical professionals were arbitrarily detained. At least 15 nurses or doctors are still detained, accused of providing medical care to demonstrators. For example, 38-year-old Nazim Sirag has been detained since his arrest on January 31, 2019. The father of two young sons provided first aid to people who were injured in the course of public protests. Four other members of his aid initiative are still in prison too.

Bashir has been President of Sudan of 30 years. He is said to be responsible for the violent deaths of millions of people in Darfur, in the Nuba Mountains, and other conflict areas in Sudan and South Sudan. Due to the public protests, Ahmed Haroun was named Bashir's successor as chairman of the National Congress Party (NCP). Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court as well.

Header Image: UNAMID via Flickr