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THOUSANDS OF SUDANESE protesters remain camped outside army headquarters for a fourth day today.
Chanting “freedom, freedom,” crowds of men and women, who had spent the night camped outside the Khartoum complex that also houses the president’s residence, urged top brass to back them in ending Omar al-Bashir’s three decades of iron-fisted rule.
It is the largest rally since protests erupted following a three-fold increase in bread prices in December, before mushrooming into nationwide demonstrations demanding that Bashir and his government step down.
Early today, members of the National Intelligence and Security Service and riot police fired tear gas at the protesters in an abortive bid to end their sit-in, protest movement organisers said.
“There was heavy firing of tear gas after which army soldiers opened the gates of the compound for protesters to enter,” a witness told AFP.
A few minutes later a group of soldiers fired gunshots in the air to push back the security forces who were firing tear gas.
A second witness said soldiers had intervened against the security force agents.
Since the protests erupted in December, the armed forces have remained on the sidelines even as security agents and riot police have cracked down.
Demonstrators have called on the army to protect them from the deadly crackdown, during their four days camped outside its headquarters.
‘Wish of the revolution’
Defence Minister General Awad Ibnouf vowed that the army would prevent any slide into chaos.
“Sudan’s armed forces understand the reasons for the demonstrations and is not against the demands and aspirations of the citizens, but it will not allow the country to fall into chaos,” Ibnouf said on Monday, according to the official SUNA news agency.
In a separate statement, army chief of staff Kamal Abdelmarouf said the military was “discharging its responsibility in securing and protecting citizens.”
Officials say 38 people have died in protest-related violence since December.
Interior Minister Bushara Juma said seven protesters died and 15 were wounded on Saturday when forces tried to disperse them.
He said 42 security personnel were injured and 2,496 arrests made.
The umbrella group spearheading the protests appealed to the army yesterday for talks on forming a transitional government.
“We call on the Sudanese armed forces to talk directly with the Alliance for Freedom and Change for facilitating the peaceful process of forming a transitional government,” said Omar el-Digeir, a senior member of the group.
Digeir said the protest organisers had formed a council to open talks aimed at agreeing a “transitional government that represents the wish of the revolution”.
Reading from a statement, he also called on the armed forces “to withdraw their support for a regime that has lost its legitimacy” and to support the “people’s alternative for a transition to a civilian democratic government”.
‘Unprecedented number’
The rally outside the army headquarters has been the largest since protests began on December 19 in the central town of Atbara, quickly spreading to the capital and nationwide.
The European Union said an “unprecedented” number of people had come out calling for change since Saturday.
“The people of Sudan have shown remarkable resilience in the face of extraordinary obstacles over many years,” the EU’s External Action Service said.
“Their trust must be won through concrete action by the government.”
The protesters accuse Bashir’s administration of economic mismanagement that has led to soaring food prices and chronic shortages of fuel and foreign currency.
After a meeting chaired by Bashir on Sunday, Sudan’s security council said the demands of the protesters “have to be heard”.
Bashir, wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide connected with the suppression of a now 16-year-old ethnic minority rebellion in the western region of Darfur, took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.
He has remained defiant, introducing tough measures that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, activists and journalists arrested.
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Christ, my skins crawling after reading that.
The “love both” people will be delighted that she gave birth at age 10.
@Baltimore Lass: Here is a disgusting statistic from India ; A child under 10 is raped every 13 hours..
@Baltimore Lass: A cruel comment, nobody irrespective of their position would hold with the rape and resulting pregnancy of a young child, there are two child victims of this horror and whether it was a family member or other, someone is clearly abusing this little girl, all right thinking people would want such criminals apprehended and incarcerated, point scoring over this child’s suffering is in bad taste.
@Honeybee: Don’t be daft.You have so called “pro life” human rights activists in this country,who would fight tooth and nail for that 10 year old,to be forced to give birth…Baltimore Lass is spot on!
@Gerri Sant0r0: Baltimore lass stated people would be ‘delighted’ to see a ten year old give birth, really, you think anyone would be ‘delighted’ at such trauma and abuse?
@Honeybee :Where have you been hiding ? Didn’t you know that once that 10 year old child became pregnant,then she must give birth,according to those that ‘love both’? Marion ,where are you?
@Francis Mc Carthy: Typical of the pro choice side scoring points from a tragedy. Of the c.200000 abortions carried out in GB last year, how many were due to rape and incest? Carry-on making political football out these awful tragedies and show people how really hypocritical the pro choice side is. No ProLife person sees anything here to be celebrated.
Daniel : Do you believe that that 10 year old child should have a choice of ending that pregnancy in Ireland ?
@Daniel Dunne: And to answer your question,I will never know how many were for rape/incest,and the reason for this,is that rape is under-reported.And your lot are not “pro life” ..Your lot are ‘pro-mental torture’ ‘pro forced birth’ ‘pro death’ ..Away with yah.
@Daniel Dunne: They celebrated the incarceration, force feeding and forced caesarian of a rape victim as a “positive outcome”,
If a 10 year old Irish girl was pregnant, the 8th amendment would force her to give birth. A blunt instrument that tortures women and girls in this country if they can’t afford to travel.
India is a medieval society.
@Emmet Dillane: and Ireland is not
@Emmet Dillane: India would have allowed an abortion up to 20 weeks. Ireland, under the 8th amendment would have forced this child to give birth regardless.
It gets sicker and sicker. This little girl is going to need a lot of help and support. And the men who raped her need to be punished and then a lot more punishment.
That poor little girl … heart goes out to the child
To attempt to fathom the depth of trauma this little girl has gone through is horrifying. I truly hope she is receives the psychological support she will need.
Cases like these highlight the necessity in stengthening the global campaign against all forms of sexual violence.
“DNA results have led to suspicions that she may have been abused by others”. Looks like Sherlock is on the case.
India really have some the brightest people on this planet but then you hear these stories and think they have also the worst type of people on the planet and a crazy functioning society.
I seem to remember after the whole Savita Halipanavaar story that there were a lot of guest commentators from India in the liberal faction of the Irish media slating Irish healthcare, attitudes and law. We were supposed to be a backward society according to them and yet this kind of thing happens in their backyard all the time with no sign of them now and their ironic comments. It’s only a few months ago that rats got into a baby ward in a hospital in India and ate the face of a new born baby.
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