Protesters face heavy violence in Sudan’s Marches of the Millions

Thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum yesterday as part of the May 19 Marches of the Millions, called for by the resistance committees with a plan to head to the Republican Palace in the city centre. Doctors said that the protesters faced excessive violence by security forces.

Security forces threw tear gas canisters at protesters gathering on the Bashdar crossing in El Deyoum El Shargiya, south of the city centre, and on protesters marching past El Jawda Hospital, El Ghali Petrol Station, and El Gurashi Park toward the Republican Palace.

The authorities prepared for the demonstrations by heavily deploying armed security forces near and inside the Youth and Children Palace and inside the Nile Towers.

Sources reported a widespread detention campaign carried out by masked men in civilian clothes in ‘Thatcher cars’ without plates.

Thatcher cars are large Toyota Land Cruiser pickup trucks, historically used by the infamous National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said that the May 19 Marches of the Millions in Khartoum faced excessive violence by security forces.

The doctors explained in a press statement that the forces fired large quantities of tear gas canisters directly at the protesters, endangering their lives by nearly suffocating them or injuring vital parts of their bodies. such as the head, neck, chest, and abdomen.

Elsewhere

In northern and eastern Sudan, massive demonstrations took place as well to demand the overthrow of the October 25 coup and the establishment of comprehensive civil rule.

In El Gedaref, a large number of demonstrators roamed around the city market and chanted slogans demanding justice for the nearly 100 protesters killed since the October 25 military coup and demanding the return of the military to their barracks.

The participants in the protest marches in Atbara, River Nile state, raised slogans calling for the unity of the revolutionary forces and emphasising that “there will be no dialogue or negotiations with the putschists”.

At the moment, revolutionary forces are divided regarding the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), African Union (AU), and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) trilateral mechanism that is hosting talks between various Sudanese stakeholders to find solutions for the current political crisis.

At the moment, some rebel movements and protest groups refuse to participate in the tripartite initiative or take part in any dialogue with the military coup authorities and those who support them as they fear that this will legitimise the coup. Others have called on the revolutionary parties to make concessions and engage in the dialogue.