Sudan bans popular protests

Sudanese authorities announced a ban on demonstrations and gatherings in central Khartoum after the resistance committees called for organising popular demonstrations to demand civilian rule.

The Khartoum State Security Coordination Committee headed by the Governor of Khartoum, Ahmed Othman Hamza, said in a statement: “The central Khartoum area is a restricted area, from the railway in the south to the Army General Command in the east and extending to Nile Street in the north, and gatherings are not allowed there,” according to the Sudan News Agency.

The statement added that “freedom of expression is a right guaranteed under the Constitutional Charter for the 2019 Transitional Period. Traffic will be as usual on Monday and bridges will be open.”

The committee confirmed that it is calling on citizens to coordinate with their security committees and to stay away from hospitals and educational institutions.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) had announced that two people were killed in the 28 February demonstrations in the capital, Khartoum, after being hit with live bullets.

Since 25 October, Sudan has witnessed protests rejecting exceptional measures imposed by the military chief, Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, most notably the declaration of a state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers.

READ: Over 50 protesters injured in anti-military rallies in Sudan