Six killed during protests in Sudan as Al Jazeera bureau chief is arrested
By Yassir Abdallah, Bethlehem Feleke and Maija Ehlinger, CNN
A sixth protester has died after marches against the military takeover that took place across Sudan on Saturday, according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) on Sunday.
The latest casualty was a 15-year-old who died in East Khartoum Hospital in Khartoum state, with bullet wounds to the stomach, the CCSD said.
On Saturday, five people were reportedly killed by military forces during the marches.
“Numerous injuries from live ammunition and the brutality of the military” were reported across the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the CCSD added. Difficulties have been reported in transporting injured protesters to a hospital.
After General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan — head of Sudan’s Armed forces — declared the formation of a new ruling sovereign council on Thursday, pro-democracy activist groups called for a “Million Man” march on Saturday against the undermining of democracy.
On Sunday, Al Jazeera’s Khartoum bureau chief, El Musalmi El Kabbashi, had his house raided and was arrested by Sudanese military authorities, according to a statement released by the media network.
“Al Jazeera condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible actions of the military and calls on the authorities to release El Kabbashi immediately and to allow its journalists to operate unhindered, free to practice their profession without fear or intimidation,” Al Jazeera wrote in a press statement.
“In a world in which the media and journalists face increasing threats, Al Jazeera views this as an attack on press freedom as a whole and calls on international human rights and media organizations to condemn this infringement of journalists’ safety.”
CNN is reaching out to Sudanese authorities for comment. According to Reuters, the Sudanese police said they did not use firearms during the protests, which they said began peacefully but went off track. They said 39 policement were injured and stations were attacked, which triggered arrests.
The pro-democracy protests that took place on Saturday and Sunday across the country follow several days of civil disobedience last week — but participation seemed to be limited by continuing interruptions to internet and phone connections.
Internet services have been badly disrupted since the October 25 coup, and phone coverage remains patchy. Although daily life came to a near standstill when the coup happened, shops, roads, and some banks have since reopened.
The coup halted a power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians that had been agreed after Bashir’s overthrow and was meant to lead to democratic elections by late 2023.
Top civilians including several ministers were detained, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was placed under house arrest.
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