New campaign to expose Sudan junta’s violations as over 100 protesters are injured

A new campaign was launched on Sunday to expose human rights violations by the military junta against pro-democracy protests as more than 100 people were injured in the July 31 Marches of the Millions.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) reported in a statement yesterday that 105 demonstrators sustained injuries during  Sunday's marches, which were called for by the Khartoum Resistance Committees and the Forces of Freedom and Change-Central Council under the slogan of "peaceful coexistence". 

One protester was hit by birdshot pellets, two others by rubber bullets. 11 were run over by vehicles of the security forces whilst there were also 56 cases of tear gas canisters injuring eyes, heads, and other parts of the body.

There were also cases of protesters being severely beaten by security services with batons, causing multiple fractures and other serious injuries to the body.

According to the report, the total number of injuries in Khartoum reached 101 with 4 protesters being injured elsewhere. Some injuries were treated by field aid teams and are not included in the list, so the number is likely to be higher.

The Socialist Doctors Association condemned the excessive violence by the security services in the face of the July 31 processions in Khartoum. In a statement yesterday, the association confirmed that the government forces used tear gas, stun grenades, and against protesters and ran them over with their vehicles.

The Emergency Lawyers also reported widespread violence and detentions among activists and protesters, including minors, during the July 31 processions in Khartoum.

Esam Hamed, member of the Emergency Lawyers, told Radio Dabanga that government forces in armoured vehicles used not only tear gas but also water mixed with chemicals to disperse the crowds. The security forces continued using violence inside the neighbourhoods, he said.

On Sunday morning, the security forces also launched a massive detention campaign in the neighbourhoods south of the city centres in Khartoum and in Omdurman.

Hamed said that all procedures for releasing 24 people from the Northern Police Section in Khartoum were completed. These include three young women and four minors. Four of them were wounded during detention and had to be treated by medics.

Nine activists were released in Omdurman yesterday.

New campaign

The Emergency Lawyers, the CCDS, and the Consultants and Specialists Committee jointly announced the launch of a comprehensive campaign on Sunday to expose human rights violations by the military junta against pro-democracy protests.

The three groups announced that human rights defenders, medical doctors, and media professionals agreed to work together to expose the human rights violations committed by the military junta following the October 2021 coup d’état.

The campaign will present reports about the number of protesters killed, methods of targeting protesters, and the types of weapons used in the suppression of the revolutionaries “to contribute to a fair investigation”.

The groups said that “local, regional, and international human rights organisations will join the reporting in order to support the protesters and others against the practices of the putschists, to call for an immediate halt to the killing and stop the use of live ammunition and all kinds of weapons that are used against the peaceful revolutionaries”.