Sudanese stage fresh protests to demand civilian rule

By Buhram Abdel-Men'em

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Thousands of Sudanese protesters staged fresh rallies in the capital Khartoum on Sunday to demand the restoration of civilian rule in the country.

Demonstrators in Khartoum and the cities of Bahri and Omdurman waved banners demanding civilian rule amid chants against the military, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter on the ground.

Protesters erected barricades and burned tires on main roads, while Sudanese security forces used stun grenades and teargas canisters to disperse demonstrators.

Security forces closed roads leading to the headquarters of the army command, the presidential palace, and Khartoum Airport in the capital.

Sunday’s rallies were called by the so-called Resistance Committee, which spearhead the current wave of demonstrations against the military since last year.

Sudan has been in turmoil since last October when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government, a move decried by political forces as a "military coup."

More than 100 people have been killed in protests against the military rule since October, according to local medics.

Earlier this month, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the military will not participate in national talks facilitated by the UN and regional blocs to make way for a civilian government.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara