Seven more killed in Sudan capital Khartoum as protest death toll continues to rise

Seven people were shot dead and several more were injured in Khartoum on Thursday as anti-regime protests continue.

At least 108 civilians have been killed in the Sudanese capital in a crackdown on pro-democracy protests following a military coup on 25 October.

Some 17 of those were minors, including a 15-year-old boy shot in the chest on Wednesday afternoon, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said.

The demonstrations have been launched from pre-planned meeting points amid a state-endorsed communications blackout.

On Thursday, internet access and phone services were restricted since 8am.

In central Khartoum, security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to block protesters from approaching the presidential palace.

Bridges over the Nile were also barricaded by the authorities.

Mobilisation efforts have been under way for weeks, with several neighbourhood protests erupting in the build-up to Thursday’s marches.

On Wednesday, Sudan’s leader, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, said the armed forces were looking forward to the day when an elected government could take over, but that could only be done through consensus or elections, not protests.

The nationwide rallies mark the third anniversary of mass protests that prompted a power-sharing agreement between civilian opposition and the military elite, following the ousting of long-time autocrat Omar Al-Bashir in April 2019.

Read more: Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigns

Military leaders dissolved that agreement in the October coup citing political paralysis, heightening calls for a civilian-led authority.

UN, US and AU mediation efforts have been largely unsuccessful.

Grass-roots resistance networks have refused to engage in talks with the military elite, along with the traditional civilian opposition.