Elderly woman dead from tear gas: Sudan doctors

An elderly woman died from the complications of tear gas that spread in her house during one of the demonstrations against the Sudanese regime. At least sixteen people were wounded during Sunday’s marches.

The Sudanese Central Doctors’ Committee announced the death of 95-year-old Kineina Ayoub as a result of complications of tear gas that was thrown by the security forces against protesters near her house in Khartoum on Friday.

The committee said in a statement yesterday that the main cause of her death is tear gas, which caused a severe breath problem that led to severe metabolic acidosis caused by the stress of the tissues of the auxiliary breathing muscles,.

The Committee said in the statement that the case of “grandmother Kineina Ayoub” was not the first as the excessive use of tear gas by the security forces against demonstrators in populated places “has led to many cases of complications, especially for people with respiratory diseases”.

Sunday marches

During the marches in Greater Khartoum on Sunday, named March of the Unemployed Graduates, the committee said that sixteen people were wounded. Reportedly thousands of people joined in the protests.

Most of the injuries were caused by tear gas canisters directly used as a weapon to confront demonstrators, physically hitting them. There were several cases of suffocation among people.

The statement pointed out that an 80-year-old man was injured by a fracture of hernias in the rib cage after being beaten in a car.

The doctors claimed in their statement that the people of Sudan will not forget all these tragedies and will continue demanding punishment for the killing of children, young adults and the elderly.

On February 17, 62-year-old fruit seller Osman Abubakir reportedly died after choking on tear gas, and many others were wounded. Dozens of protestors were detained.

So far, the Sudanese protests that started nationwide mid-December have caused the death of dozens of civilians, hundreds injured, and unknown thousands detained as the Sudanese security forces routinely respond to peaceful protests with tear gas, batons, and live ammunition.