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TEHRAN, May 14 - Sudanese protesters said Tuesday that security agents loyal to ousted President Omar al-Bashir attacked their sit-ins overnight, setting off clashes that killed six people, including an army officer, and heightened tensions as the opposition holds talks with the military.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Both the protesters and the ruling military council said the violence was instigated by al-Bashir loyalists from within the security forces. Over the course of his 30-year rule, al-Bashir formed a shadowy security apparatus made up of several paramilitary groups.
The U.S. Embassy, however, blamed the military council, saying its attempts earlier in the day to remove roadblocks, and its use of tear gas against protesters, led to the violence later that night.
The clashes erupted after nightfall on Monday, when protests in Sudan usually swell during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is marked by dawn to dusk fasting.
The Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association that has been spearheading the protests since December, reported the six fatalities. The clashes took place in several locations across the country, including the main sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, the doctors union said.
Ahmed Rabie, a spokesman for the SPA, said more than 200 people were wounded. The military council confirmed the death of an army major and said three troops were wounded.
The SPA said remnants of al-Bashir's regime are stoking violence, hoping it will lead to the breakup of the sit-ins. The group urged protesters to remain peaceful.
"The military council is responsible for restoring security, protecting citizens and cracking down on the remnants of the ousted regime, its security apparatus and shadow brigades," it said.
The military removed al-Bashir from power on April 11 after four months of mass protests, in which security forces killed around 100 protesters and at least five soldiers who tried to protect the demonstrators.
On Monday, Sudanese prosecutors announced that they have charged al-Bashir with involvement in killing and incitement to kill protesters during the uprising, according to the state news agency SUNA. It was not immediately clear what punishment he might face.
Al-Bashir, who was jailed in Khartoum days after his overthrow, is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s, but the military council has said it would not extradite him to The Hague.
Source: AP
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