‘March of the Martyrs’ Mothers’ demands regime change in Sudan

The resistance committees in greater Khartoum organised a ‘March of the Martyrs’ Mothers’ on Tuesday, in conjunction with Mother’s Day, to the Sudanese parliament in Omdurman to demand the overthrow of the military junta.

The processions moved from the El Shuhada square and the El Arbaeen Street (Martyr Abdelazim Street) towards the parliament, and stopped at a number of points to organise addresses to speak to the public about the current situation.

Participants in the procession carried banners calling for the overthrow of the junta and denouncing the security forces’ repression of the protests.

They confirmed their intention to continue the campaign of peaceful protest.

11 held, women ‘verbally abused’

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) reported that 11 demonstrators, including three women, were detained for their participation in the March 14 pro-democracy protests at the Sharwani bus station, near El Gasr Street in Khartoum.

Their report stated that the women protesters were allegedly subjected to verbal abuse by police officers, calling them ‘prostitutes’. According to ACJPS, they were then transferred to the Khartoum North (Bahri) Police Station with the other eight detainees.

The group was then charged with “disturbance of public peace “and “public nuisance”, under Articles 69 and 77 of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code. However, they were later released on bail.

The ACJPS also urged for a thorough and impartial inquiry to be conducted into the injuries sustained by photojournalist Ibrahim Abdelrahman during the March 14 protests, according to a report released last week.

During his coverage of the protest earlier this month, the photojournalist was reportedly shot in the chest by an improvised tear gas projectile used to shoot stones and pieces glass with. Abdelrahman stated that he was targeted for covering the protest. He saw “a police officer directing his colleague to shoot him”, due to him carrying a camera.

Despite being discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health, the photojournalist reported he is suffering from chest congestion and difficulty breathing after sustaining his injury.

As for his previous coverage in the last two years, Abdelrahman stated that he has been tortured, detained, and the target of constant harassment by the authorities.