Second death, rapes reported at Sudan's mass protest
A Sudanese protester waves the national flag during a rally to mark three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of strongman Omar Al Bashir, in the capital Khartoum, on December 19, 2021. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Security forces cracked down Sunday as hundreds of thousands marched, marking three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of veteran strongman Omar al-Bashir.
The death toll from a crackdown on Sudanese protesters Sunday rose to two, medics said Tuesday, while a government ministry said two women were raped in the chaos.
On Monday medics had reported a first shooting death in the previous day's street violence, while the health ministry reported 125 protesters injured, many by tear gas inhalation.
On Tuesday, the independent Sudan Doctors' Committee reported the additional death. It said Abdelmoneim Mohamed Ali, 28, was killed with "a bullet in the head" in Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city.
Security forces cracked down Sunday as hundreds of thousands marched, marking three years since the start of mass demonstrations that led to the ouster of veteran strongman Omar al-Bashir.
The protesters rallied against the northeast African country's military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a coup on October 25.
Nationwide, at least 47 people have been killed in street clashes in the past two months, according to the Committee.
In a statement, the UN said it had documented 13 incidents of rape on Sunday.
"Our Joint Human Rights Office in Sudan has received allegations that 13 women and girls were victims of rape or gang rape," said Liz Throssell, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson based in Geneva.
"We have also received allegations of sexual harassment by security forces against women who were trying to flee the area around the Presidential Palace on Sunday evening," she added in Tuesday's statement.
The UN called for "a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment, as well as the allegations of death and injury of protesters as a result of the unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, in particular use of live ammunition".
The army on Monday insisted in a statement it supports "free and fair elections" in 2023.
However, the Forces for Freedom and Change, the umbrella group which spearheaded the protests against Bashir, has called for more demonstrations on December 25 and 30.
