KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Crowds of Sudanese protesters gathered in parts of the capital and other Sudanese cities on Monday, the third anniversary of Omar al-Bashir’s ouster to protest the prospect of renewed military rule.
Bashir was ousted after three decades in power by a group of his top generals, who later entered into a power-sharing government with the civilian groups that had led months of protests in 2019.
That arrangement ended on Oct. 25 when the same military leaders, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, staged a coup, which has plunged the country into economic and political turmoil.
“Bashir’s downfall did not mean a final victory for the revolution, because Burhan is a continuation of his regime,” said 38-year-old protester Ahmed Ibrahim. “We will bring down the military peacefully and democracy is Sudan’s future,” he told Reuters at a Khartoum protest.
Protesters blocked main roads, burning tires, banging drums, and chanting revolutionary poems.
Protests against the coup have taken place despite a security crackdown that has claimed the lives of 94 people and injured thousands, as well as climbing temperatures and Ramadan fasts.
Khartoum protesters broke their day-long fasts in the street, as they did in major protests last week, and numbers swelled after sunset.
Protests were also seen in other major cities, including Bahri, Omdurman, Port Sudan, Madani, and El Obeid.
The military says the coup was a necessary corrective measure. Reuters reported last week that a deal was under consideration between the military and some political groups to bypass opposition parties and set up a new government.
(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Howard Goller)
