Sudan uprising: Protest marches face tear gas, arrests

People in Sudan carried out more than 30 peaceful marches in seven states on Thursday to demand the step-down of Al Bashir and his regime from power. Thousands participated in the largest march declared by opposition parties and committees of professionals.

The signatories to the Declaration of Freedom and Change called upon people to march in the streets yesterday in the states of Khartoum, El Gezira, River Nile, Northern State, Sennar, El Gedaref and Red Sea.

Security forces, however, faced these demonstrations with excessive violence using sticks, batons and tear gas against demonstrators.

Over 15 peaceful marches were launched in the state of Khartoum. The districts of Shambat, Halfaya, Mazad and El Jereif East in Khartoum North, Abbasiya, El Morada, Abukadok, Banat, and the Libya market and El Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman, as well as Jubara, Burri and El Kalakla in Khartoum witnessed peaceful protests.

Witnesses and journalists told Radio Dabanga that the demonstrations in Khartoum continued for hours, despite the dense firing of tear gas in some places and the beatings of demonstrators with batons and pieces of cables on others. They reported to have seen many arrests.

Despite heavy security reinforcements, demonstrators managed to reach El Arbaeen street, a main road in Omdurman, and El Maarad road in Burri.

Protesters chased

Security forces reportedly chased demonstrators into the small streets in Abbasiya, threw tear gas canisters into buildings and stormed a number of houses, eyewitnesses reported. These actions are contrary to the published instructions of the prosecution not to hunt down demonstrators in the streets and into houses.

Red Sea

Eastern Sudan’s Red Sea and El Gedaref states also witnessed simultaneous demonstrations that demanded the change of the regime.

A listener told Radio Dabanga from Port Sudan, the capital of Red Sea state, that the demonstrations started from the public station in the city. The security forces blocked off the demonstrators with tear gas and arrested a number of them.

El Gedaref

Students demonstrated at the railway in El Gedaref. An eyewitness told Radio Dabanga that the security forces launched a campaign of arrests against activists, including one of their leaders, Jaafar Khidir.

River Nile, Northern State

Yesterday in Northern State and the Nile River states, residents of Karma El Nuzoul and Tibein went out in peaceful demonstrations, also denouncing the killing of demonstrators.

El Gezira

Yesterday, Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira state, saw demonstrations demanding Al Bashir to step down as the demonstrations extended to include several other localities as well.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the demonstrators blocked the Wad Madani-Sennar highway for some time.

The demonstrations this week also commemorated the people killed during the demonstrations in addition to the victims of the Port Sudan massacre on January 29, 2005, when peaceful demonstrators in Port Sudan were shot by the riot police and security service, killing 21 people and wounding a large number of others. About 300 people were arrested.