The UN envoy for Sudan has decried the killing of two people in a violent crackdown against pro-democracy protesters who once again took to the streets of the capital to denounce an October military coup.
Hundreds of people marched on Saturday in Khartoum, where security forces violently dispersed the crowds and chased them in the streets, according to activists.
UN envoy Volker Perthes said on Twitter on Sunday: “I am appalled by the violent death of two young protesters in Khartoum yesterday. Once again: it is time for the violence to stop.”
The two were killed during protests in Khartoum’s Kalakla neighbourhood. One was shot dead by security forces and the other suffocated after inhaling tear gas, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy movement.
Mr Perthes urged military authorities to lift the state of emergency imposed since the October 25 coup and find a “peaceful way out of the current crisis”.
I am appalled by the violent death of two young protesters in Khartoum yesterday. One again: it is time for the violence to stop, time to end the state of emergency, time for a peaceful way out of the current crisis in Sudan.
— Volker Perthes (@volkerperthes) May 29, 2022
Sudan has been plunged into turmoil since the military takeover upended its short-lived transition to democracy after three decades of repressive rule by former strongman Omar al-Bashir.
Mr al-Bashir and his Islamist-backed government were removed by the military in a popular uprising in April 2019.
Saturday’s protests were part of relentless demonstrations over the past seven months calling for the military to hand over power to civilians.
At least 98 people have been killed and more than 4,300 injured in the government crackdown on anti-coup protests since October, according to the medical group.
The protesters demand the removal of the military from power. The generals, however, have said they will only hand over power to an elected administration. They say elections will take place in July 2023 as planned in a constitutional document governing the transition period.
The UN, the African Union and the eight-nation east African regional group called the Intergovernmental Authority in Development have been leading concerted efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides and find a way out of the continuing impasse.
