Khartoum Governor: ’70 killed during protests in Sudan capital’

The Governor of Khartoum state, Abdelrahman el Khidir, has announced that the number of people killed during the last two weeks of demonstrations in the Sudanese capital lies between 60 and 70 individuals.Following his announcement, the spokesman of the National Consensus Forces (NCF, an alliance of opposition parties), noted that the numbers conflict with estimate of 32 dead presented by the Interior Ministry.Kamal Omar said this contradiction “confirms that the government is constantly lying, and that the National Congress Party (NCP) regime killed peaceful protesters in cold blood.”He affirmed that “in reality, the death toll has reached 250” and that “what the regime has done to peaceful demonstrators is a violation of the Constitution, the Criminal Code, Sharia law, and all laws of the heavenly religions.”Several cities in Sudan have been witnessed mass protests against the government for the past two weeks. Demonstrations began after President Omar Al Bashir announced he was lifting fuel subsidies in Sudan, what led to rising prices in the country. ‘State media propaganda’The spokesman also commented on the “state media propaganda” presented in the form of alleged dialogue taking place between the NCP and opposition parties such as the Popular Congress Party (PCP) and the National Umma Party (NUP).“These are lies and rumours orchestrated by the regime to stimulate the confidence of the people,” Omar said, while stressing that the PCP decided not to negotiate with the ruling party but instead to “topple it”.Speaking to Radio Dabanga, the NCF spokesman called upon “all Sudanese to continue demonstrating for the overthrow of the regime”. He also suggested that people use the holidays of Eid el Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice in mid-October) to “mobilise the masses, until the end.”Summit meetingThe NCF held a summit meeting on Tuesday, in which the heads of political parties and members of their public bodies discussed the latest developments in the country. They decided to intensify their efforts and to continue cooperating with the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebel coalition.During the meeting, Omar, said, participants stressed that each political party will maintain their unit and own bodies. It was also decided that the parties will activate their various committees to continue providing support to the “mass uprising of the Sudanese people in all states of the country.”The NCF concluded that the governance crisis in the country is still ongoing and has worsened economically, politically, and socially. “The regime cannot solve the crisis, no matter which tools it uses to oppress the citizens.”“Protesters have clearly showed their aim: to topple the regime by peaceful demonstrations, as they did during the October Revolution of 1964, and the uprising of March to April 1985. The NCF will also pursue its ‘patient struggle’ for the release of political prisoners and … to send to court all of those who have committed murders and destroyed private and public property,” Omar warned. News photo (Twitter)