Tear gas launchers filled with stones by Sudan police kill protesters

The United Doctors Office and the Emergency Lawyers condemned the police forces' use of a kind of launching weapon loaded with stones or glass that they shoot from a close range, which killed two young demonstrators in Omdurman last week.

The Office, which includes the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), the Forensic Doctors Syndicate, and the Medical Consultants and Specialists Committee, said in a statement yesterday that the use of the weapon has also led to the loss of an eye for three other protesters.  

The medics said that this type of weapon is internationally prohibited. They called for an immediate cessation of the use of ‘launchers’ and appealed to international human rights organisations to intervene urgently.

Member of the Emergency Lawyers Rehab El Mubarak also explained that aiming the tear gas launchers, intended for firing liquefied gas projectiles, at the human body is prohibited internationally.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, she said that the security forces fill the projectile launcher with stones and glass and fire it at the demonstrators and confirmed that this caused the death of two demonstrators last week when the stones penetrated the body and settled in the liver and the base of the skull.

She said that the forces opted for the use of the launcher devices because it is free of cost and the killer cannot be identified, unlike the gunfire through which the perpetrator can be found through the projectile, such as the type of bullet.

The killing of two demonstrators in Omdurman last week has sparked outrage among political activists and members of resistance committees. Their deaths brought the total death toll amongst those protesting the October 25, 2021, military coup to 121. Thousands have been injured.

Ihsan Fagiri, medical doctor and co-founder of the No to Women’s Oppression Initiative and the UDO, considered the use of launchers “a quantum leap in the suppression of peaceful demonstrations”.

“Directing any projectile at vital organs leads to fatal injuries and may cause permanent disability. 19 young protesters have lost their sight in this way,” she said.

She also mentioned the use of a type of tear gas that affects the control of urination and defecation.

Doctor Amjad Farid said that "the continued repression and killing of demonstrators confirms the military rulers' lack of seriousness in reaching any political solution".

'Everyone has a right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression' – Trilateral Mechanism

Trilateral Mechanism condemnation

The AU-IGAD-UN Trilateral Mechanism also condemned the continued use of excessive force against demonstrators, including the two deaths last week.

In a press statement yesterday, African Union-IGAD-United Nations envoys extended their “heartfelt condolences to the victim’s families”.

The Trilateral Mechanism recalled that “everyone has a right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression”. It called on the Sudanese authorities to investigate these incidents “and swiftly bring those responsible to justice”.

The envoys also stated that they “continue to work for the restoration of a transitional period, which would be sustainable and would allow for the formation of a credible civil, democratic, and accountable government to bring peace and development to the country”.