Video duration 01 minutes 40 seconds
Khartoum – For hours, the Sudanese capital appeared as a fierce battlefield, with repeated confrontations between demonstrators and security forces, which spread extensively in the city center to prevent thousands of people from reaching the presidential palace, using tear gas, pungent-smelling water and sound bombs, while 3 people were killed and dozens of protesters were injured.
Hours before Thursday’s procession scheduled as part of a series of protests organized by the resistance committees on specific days this January, columns of military vehicles were seen crossing at night to the east of the capital towards the army’s general command and to the central Khartoum area, fully equipped with military equipment and soldiers, in a scene that spread Fears of deadly confrontations.
The procession of the sixth of January is the third in this week after the processions of last Sunday and Tuesday, and it also takes the 14th order since the actions taken by the army chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, when he overthrew the partnership with the “Forces of Freedom and Change – the ruling coalition”, arrested its ministers and dissolved its government in Last October, in an event widely described as a military coup, the military calls a corrective measure.
Over the past months, large sectors of Sudan have been organizing peaceful protests to reject the army’s measures and demand the return of the military to the barracks and the handover of power to a civilian government.
Before the scheduled date of Thursday’s procession at 1:00 p.m., a large number of protesters gathered at several points in Khartoum, the center of which was the “Pashadar” point, in preparation for heading towards the presidential palace, raising slogans calling for the military’s departure from power.
It was noticeable that the resistance committees and the flag of Sudan prevailed for the processions away from any party slogan, despite the support of political forces and the gathering of professionals. The women’s presence in the procession was distinguished by shouting encouragement and chanting, “The authority is the authority of the people… and the military is for the barracks.”
Thursday’s convoy was not affected by a series of wide arrests carried out on Wednesday night, which included active leaders of the resistance committees in the Shagara and Khartoum 2 and Khartoum 3 areas, as well as other cadres in Omdurman and Khartoum North.
Muhammad Nasser told Al Jazeera Net that the networking and high-level coordination between the committees at the level of the capital and the anticipation of arrests led to the success of the crowd, “despite the retaliatory campaigns of the authority.”
Evacuation orders and chases
Al Jazeera Net monitored a heavy security deployment of joint forces, including the army, in the Arab market in the heart of Khartoum, where the soldiers used loudspeakers to tell people to leave the place and evacuate it immediately, about two hours before the scheduled start of the procession.
As usual, the authorities have closed the main bridges linking the three cities of the capital since Wednesday night, using huge shipping containers and concrete blocks, as was remarkable this time the closure of the “Freedom” bridge in Khartoum, which was not in the accounts of the closure throughout the past protests.
The authorities also cut off the internet and communication services from an early date, and expanded the perimeter of closing the roads leading to the palace to the extent that the protesters were unable to reach its surroundings as in previous times.
Protesters were trapped around the public transport station “Sharoni”, which turned into a hit-and-run scene, and a violent confrontation between protesters and security forces lasted for hours, during which fierce chases were taking place.
Al Jazeera Net monitored various cases of injuries among the protesters, while groups trained in ambulances were actively moving in the procession, where young people were doing quick treatments for light injuries using medical tools and simple first aid, which found relief among the demonstrators.
keep pretending
Abdel Hamid Bashir says he hopes to achieve the protesters’ demands, which are freedom, peace, justice and civil rule. He acknowledges that the ongoing demonstrations are exhausting, but stresses that they are ready to go out to the streets as long as possible. Not far from Bashir was a doctor named Hind, who volunteered to help the injured.
Abdul Hamid comments on the insistence of his companions to reach the presidential palace despite the gas bombs, saying that 3 years of protest gave them experience in how to avoid its damage, including returning the device to the police before it was completed, in addition to the presence of many demonstrators carrying plastic containers used in Covering the bombs, as others carry liquid mixtures that reduce the impact of the gas.
In both Khartoum Bahri and Omdurman, the scene was no less violent. The Central Doctors Committee announced the killing of 3 protesters in Omdurman and Bahri, bringing the number of those killed in the protests to 60 since last October 25.
According to media reports in Khartoum Bahri, the protestors’ convoy was subjected to excessive repression and live bullets fired in the face of peaceful demonstrators by forces wearing army, police, riot control, security police and central reserve uniforms.