Sudan police say 11 killed in Khartoum incidents

Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans during a rally in front of the defense ministry headquarters in the capital Khartoum on April 10, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan’s Information Minister has cited a report by Khartoum police as saying that 11 people were killed during security incidents in the capital on Tuesday.

According to a report by the Khartoum state police chief, six members of "state forces" were among those killed in the Tuesday incidents, said the minister, Hassan Ismail.

Ismail, who is also the government spokesman, provided no details on how they died.

But Khartoum witnessed attempts by intelligence and riot forces to disperse a sit-in by protesters opposed to President Omar al-Bashir in front of the country’s Defense Ministry headquarters on Tuesday, prompting soldiers guarding the compound, which also includes Bashir's residence and the national security headquarters, to protect them.
The sit-in area, however, expanded slightly on Wednesday, with soldiers being heavily deployed around the sit-in, which began on Saturday.

The demonstrators chanted, "Fall, that's all!," "The people want to build a new Sudan", and "Our army protects us."

"With the army's presence, we feel safe," one of the sit-inners said. "The army is protecting us and we will continue the sit-in until the regime falls," the 23-year-old engineering graduate, Ayman Abdullah, added.

Sudan has been struggling with persisting protests since December 17, when an anti-government campaign erupted over price hikes and shortages of food and fuel. That initial public display of anger quickly spiraled into calls for the 75-year-old Bashir to step down.

The embattled president has declared a state of emergency, dissolved the central government, and replaced state governors with security officials. But the rallies have not stopped.

Opposition figures have urged the military to help negotiate an end to Bashir's nearly 30-year rule and a transition to democracy.