One dead, several injured as Sudan forces fire on Khartoum North demo

A protestor has died and several others were hospitalised with various injuries after Sudanese security forces allegedly opened live fire on a group of demonstrators in Khartoum North on Wednesday. A Sky News Arabia camera crew was arrested, beaten, and forced to erase their footage.

In Khartoum North, the demonstrators were converging on the centre of the Sudanese capital to participate in the March of the Millions organised by the Sudanese Professionals Association and the Resistance Committees to commemorate the 56^th anniversary of the October 1964 Revolution.

The Central Sudanese Doctors Committee reported that Mohamed Abdelmajeed, a man in his 20s, was killed by police bullets in Sharg El Nile locality in Khartoum North during the Wednesday marches. 14 others were wounded, four of whom sustained bullet wounds, in the chest and in the head. Other protestors had to be taken to a hospital with respiratory problems because of the excessive use of tear gas.

The doctors’ report laments that “the police and the regular services are still shooting with live bullets and stabbing the peaceful protestors without any control or deterrence”.

The Doctors Committee says it holds the Sovereign Council and Cabinet, the director general of the police and the governor of Khartoum fully responsible for the violence, and demanded that all of them be called to justice.

Camera crew attacked

The Sky News Arabia crew was attacked by the police while they were covering the marches.

Khaled Oweis, a correspondent for Sky News Arabia, said that the attack took place south of Khartoum Hospital. They were forced to enter a lorry, where one of the photographers was beaten. All photos were erased.

Oweis said that another group of armed men in three vehicles, wearing military and civilian clothes, carrying firearms and batons, stormed the Sherouni parking lot during a live broadcast on Sky News and Al Hadath satellite channels. They stopped the Al Hadath crew from filming, demanding the arrest of the reporters.

He confirmed that his channel has informed the responsible authorities of the incidents. The Governor of Khartoum, Ayman Nimir, and state government agencies apologised to the Sky News team and promised to investigate the matter.

Journalists also complained that they were prevented from crossing bridges to perform their journalistic duties.

The Ministry of Culture and Information expressed on Wednesday its regret and apologies to all media outlets, the press, their employees, and independent journalists, for any harassment, disruption, or violence that occurred by the security forces, during the October 21 demonstrations in which media professionals were subjected to restrictions on their movements, and incidents of attacks on some. who are they.

In a statement, the ministry affirmed its keenness to respect freedom of the press and the media and not to be exposed to media devices by any force while performing the work of media and press teams in the field.

And confirmed that it will closely follow any investigations, communications or complaints related to this matter so that justice prevails and the principle of the rule of law and equality before it is achieved.

In its statement, the Ministry announced that it had begun initiating consultations and meetings to formulate an agreed protocol or charter that governs the relationship and foundations of interaction between media agencies and institutions, journalists, media professionals, security agencies and state institutions in general.

Commemoration

As reported by Radio Dabanga today, thousands took to the streets in Khartoum and several Sudanese state capitals amid tight security measures on Wednesday, to participate in the October 21 Marches of the Millions organised by the Sudanese Professionals Association and the Resistance Committees to commemorate the 56^th anniversary of the October 1964 Revolution.

Demonstrators demand that the course of the revolution be corrected, the transitional power structures completed, and calling for the achievement of the goals of the revolution.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the marches started from most Khartoum neighbourhoods, and that the thousands of demonstrators forced the authorities to open a number of bridges connecting the three towns of Khartoum, while the demonstrators closed a number of main roads.

All bridges in the city and the roads leading to the army command had been closed to prevent the demonstrators from setting-up a new sit-in in downtown Khartoum.

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