Two killed, 15 injured as military disperses protesters in Khartoum
Thursday May 13 2021
Protesters gather outside the army headquarters in Sudan's capital Khartoum on May 11, 2021, which corresponds to Ramadan 29, on the hijri-date anniversary of the killing of Sudanese during a raid on an anti-government sit-in in 2019. PHOTO | AFP
Two people were killed and 15 others wounded in a deadly shooting as crowds gathered at Sudan’s military headquarters for a sit-in.
They had gathered to mark the two-year anniversary of an anti-government sit-in that resulted in hundreds of deaths in 2019. The protesters in 2019 held a sit-in to demand reforms in the security sector.
On Tuesday night, a group of Sudanese protesters and the families of those killed in 2019 held an Iftar in the vicinity of the army headquarters in commemoration of the second anniversary.
On June 3, 2019—usually known as Ramadan 29)—Sudanese authorities dispersed a sit-in of protesters in front of the military headquarters, which resulted in the killing of many protesters while others went missing.
Investigations conducted by the transitional government did not result in any prosecutions.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok condemned the use of force on Tuesday and said the culprits will be brought to justice. He described it as a “full-fledged crime” and pledged to open a speedy investigation.
Hamdok held an emergency meeting Wednesday with attended by the Ministers of Defence, Interior and Justice, the Director of the General Intelligence Service and the Attorney General to discuss the Tuesday events.
Following the meeting, Hamdok released a statement saying, “the slowness of the justice system in uncovering crimes and bringing criminals to trial has become an issue of concern.”
He said this violates the aspirations of those who demanded changes in administration two years ago.
“As part of our responsibility, we will call for urgent meetings for all components of the partnership to review and correct the path,” Hamdok announced on Twitter.
The Sudanese army announced that it has formed an investigation committee to determine the circumstances of the Tuesday events.
The General Command of the Armed Forces issued a statement saying it had not issued any instructions to the forces protecting the area to use any ammunition against the protesters.
A statement published by the official Sudan News Agency said that the General Command of the Armed Forces regretted the events that occurred and promised a thorough investigation.