New demonstrations in Sudan to stop the Darfur war and to replace regime

Also on Thursday students held protest demonstrations in Sudan. The police arrested students, but several were able to escape before put in jail. Demonstrations took place in Port Sudan, Kurmuk (Southern Blue Nile), in Khartoum (Nilein University), Wad Medani (Holy Quran University), Zalingei and Nyala. They chanted slogans for removal of the government of President Omar al Bashir.They also carried banners asking to stop the killing and displacement of the Darfurian population. In the capital Khartoum, the police was at high alert after the police brought 16 students from the Nilein University to Court. They were arrested earlier this week. On Thursday students started again to protest the arrest of their colleagues at the University. The police and security arrested in Wad Medani  two students at the market. On Thursday the police prevented students from the Holy Quran university to go out for demonstrations on the street. All organizations were claimed to be organized by students and supporters loyal to Abdel Wahid Al Nur of the SLM. The SLM leader called all students and movements to continue the demonstrations until the regime will collapse. He referred to the revolution ion 1964 and in 1985 that resulted in the collapse of the Aboud and Nimeiri regimes. He called all Sudanese parties and civil organizations to join the protests. He asked the government not to kill the demonstrations.

In Kurmuk the students wanted the indicted president Omar Al Bashir to be sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to stand trial for war crimes in Darfur. In Zalingei (West Darfur) 9 people were injured after the riot police tried to stop the demonstration on Wednesday. They were taken to hospital for treatment as witnesses told Radio Dabanga. After the arrest of 23 students 16 were released.  The police and security forces used batons and whips to beat the protestors and to disperse the crowd.

In Nyala approximately (20) students from the University of Nyala were kept in detention, while 55 other students were released after their earlier protests this week. The demonstrators came to protest in at the public market of Nyala. The police arrested tens of students. After the arrest the market was closed and the streets were inhabited by large numbers of police and other forces. They surrounded the university. The students told Radio Dabanga that four of them were severely beaten by the security forces. The students told Radio Dabanga that the security had broken both legs of one of the students but they did not allow him to be sent for treatment in the hospital. The police and security forces continue to deploy their forces in the University of Nyala.

(21 Apr) – Crowds of people went out for anti-regime demonstrations Wednesday in the towns of Nyala and Zalingei in Darfur. Student protests extended also to Khartoum, touched off by the arrest of the top Darfuri university student leader.

An activist from Nyala University told Radio Dabanga that the Popular Front and parties in the university went out for demonstrations in front of the university entrance as well as organizing for a rally inside Khor market in Nyala.

In Zalingei, the coordinator of displaced people’s camps said that they led a peaceful march which started from all the camps in Zalingei. The demonstrators there condemned the increase in prices of goods, burning of villages and repeated attacks on the displaced people. The coordinator also stated that the security authorities arrested 21 people in Zalingei yesterday.

Meanwhile in Khartoum, security forces arrested the chairman of the Darfur Students’ Association at Sudan University, Elnour Mukhtar Sinin. He was arrested at the entrance of the university. One of the top people in the association told Radio Dabanga that about 30 security agents chased them and arrested Elnour from the entrance of the university and revealed that they held a strike in front of the principal’s office at the university and in front of the security and safety administration. They handed a memo to the two offices, demanding the release of the chairman of the association.

For their part, the police denied the occurrence of demonstrations in the cities of Nyala and Zalingei and suburbs in Khartoum as well as at Deleing University. Reports had pointed to the occurrence of such incidents. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Imam El Tuhami, the police spokesman, told Radio Dabanga that small demonstrations took place in the universities of Nyala and Zalingei during a political rally and did not need the interference of police. Lt. Gen.  Eltuhami denied that there were any people killed or arrested in the incidents.