Sudanese protester killed as marches enter 17th month, despite talks

A Sudanese protester was killed on Tuesday after being shot in the chest during a demonstration against military rule, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said in a statement.

Sudanese police said in a statement the shooting was an individual action that went against orders and that legal procedures had been immediately taken against the policeman involved.

The protester, who was killed in the Sharg al-Nil area near Sudan’s capital, became the 125th protesters killed in weekly protests set off by a coup in October 2021.

Protesters seen marching towards the presidential palace in Khartoum and neighboring Omdurman were met with tear gas from police, a Reuters witness said.

Khartoum State police said in a previous statement they were investigating the death, and said that protesters had been “aggressive” towards police, using tear gas, rocks, and molotov cocktails, and injured several policemen.

The protests come as military leaders who took over in the coup are negotiating a deal with the civilian political parties previously in power to restore a civilian government.

Most recently, tensions have emerged within the military, with army leaders demanding a clear timeline for the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces as well as a wider group of participants in the negotiation.

Leaders of the Rapid Support Forces have denied the desire for any tension with the military, and said they are committed to forming one army.

The resistance committees who have organized the weekly protests, have rejected the talks as elite dealings, and demand the complete withdrawal of the military from power.