One killed in Sudan anti-coup protests: medics

KHARTOUM: Sudanese security forces killed Saturday a protester during the latest mass demonstrations against last year’s military coup, medics said.

The killed protester, yet to be identified, died after “taking a bullet to the chest” during rallies in the capital Khartoum, the pro-democracy Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.

The latest death brings to 97 the toll from a crackdown on anti-coup protests which have taken place regularly since the October 25 military putsch led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the committee said.

Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in several parts of Khartoum to protest the military power grab and renew demands for civilian rule.

The coup upended a transition to civilian rule after the 2019 ouster of autocratic president Omar al-Bashir, following mass protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule.

Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been reeling from a plunging economy due to decades of international isolation and mismanagement under Bashir.

The United Nations, along with the African Union and regional bloc IGAD, have been pushing to facilitate Sudanese-led talks to resolve the crisis.

But civilian forces have refused to enter negotiations involving the military, while Burhan has repeatedly threatened to expel UN envoy Volker Perthes, accusing him of “interference” in the country’s affairs.

Sudan has suffered from international aid cuts and economic turmoil since the coup.