Saturday's protests in Sudan a barrage of gas bombs and new calls for demonstration

Security forces confronted with tear gas tens of thousands of opponents of the military rule in Sudan, who approached the presidential palace in defiance of the authorities' cut-off of communications and continued repression, while the protesters announced their intention to demonstrate again, Thursday, December 30th.

Security forces fired tear gas again on Saturday at tens of thousands of opponents of the military rule who approached the presidential palace in defiance of the authorities' cut off communications and a crackdown that has left 48 people dead since the army's coup against its civilian partners two months ago.

The protesters began to disperse after nightfall in front of the Republican Palace, the seat of the transitional authority headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army commander who led the October 25 coup.

During the day, hit-and-run operations took place a few dozen meters from the palace between the police and the protesters, who were retreating with each burst of tear gas, and then advancing again after removing the wounded from these bombs.

The demonstrators also faced a barrage of tear gas canisters as they tried to cross the bridges linking Khartoum with its suburbs.

"We will not stop"

Before dispersing, the demonstrators affirmed their determination to continue the protests until their goal is achieved and democratic civilian rule is reached.

Near the presidential palace, a young protester said, "We will not stop demonstrating until we have a civilian government. The people are in the street to say that they decide."

Close to him, Osman Mustafa, 31, confirms that he "wants the soldiers to leave," adding, "We want to choose our Sudan: a Sudan that looks like us, responds to our demands and gives equal rights to all."

The repression went even further this time, while armored vehicles belonging to the security forces closed the bridges linking Khartoum with its suburbs at each demonstration, this time using cranes to place huge containers in front of them.

In addition, the security forces closed the main roads leading to the city center where the presidential palace is located.

New events at the end of the year

The protesters announced that after Saturday they would demonstrate again on December 30. If they agreed to work with the military in 2019 to improve the situation in a country that is experiencing political stagnation and inflation that has exceeded 300%, they want to quickly return to purely civilian rule.

With his coup and the political agreement that followed with Hamdok, which protesters now describe as a "traitor", the army imposed an extension of Lieutenant-General Burhan's term as the country's de facto president for two years.

And last Sunday (December 19), the anti-military took an important symbolic step by announcing in the evening and at the gates of the presidential palace an "open sit-in", in a return to the approach of the 2019 "revolution" that toppled al-Bashir at the end of months of the sit-in.

But within hours, security forces were able to disperse thousands of protesters using sticks.

In this regard, the Sudanese Professionals Association (the leader of the protest movement) called for participation in Thursday's demonstrations, to demand "the installation of a purely civilian authority."

The assembly said in a statement: "The revolutionary forces affirm their determination to take the people's power and wealth in full, and to establish the exclusive civil national authority that stems from them and expresses through them for radical change, and they call for the next million on December 30, 2021."

Since last October 25, Sudan has witnessed protests in response to exceptional measures, most notably the imposition of a state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Councils and the Transitional Ministers, following the arrest of party leaders and officials, which political and civil forces considered a "military coup" in exchange for exile from the army.