Police storm prison in eastern Sudan after Covid-19 protest

Two inmates of the Kassala prison in eastern Sudan were injured on Sunday, when the police stormed the building to break up a protest. The prisoners started a riot and a hunger strike after four inmates were tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

Listeners from Kassala told Radio Dabanga that they heard heavy gunfire in the prison. A source from within the prison reported that several prisoners were injured. Two of them were transferred to the Kassala Teaching Hospital.

When the police regained control over the prison and after consulting the government, the governor of Kassala, Maj Gen Mahmoud Babikir, announced that 47 inmates were released.

Port Sudan

Riots broke out in the Port Sudan prison as well. Inmate Ibrahim Abubakir was shot dead by police on Saturday. Four other prisoners were wounded.

Relatives of Abubakir claim that he was killed by a stray bullet while preparing to perform the noon prayer in a place far from the riots. They said the police fired indiscriminately.

The press office of the Red Sea state police justified the shooting by saying that the prisoners had begun breaking the inner fence and gates, trying to escape. When the police arrived, they allegedly threw stones at them.

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