Khartoum – Sudanese security forces shot and killed a teenager on Monday during a crackdown on rallies against last year’s military coup, medics said.
Sudan has been roiled by deepening unrest since an October military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan which has triggered regular mass protests.
“Babiker al-Rashid, 17, was killed in Omdurman after he was hit at a close range by a live bullet to the chest by coup authorities,” said the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors in a statement.
His death brings to 89 the number of people killed in the crackdown on anti-coup protests to 89, the committee said.
The October 25 military coup derailed a fragile power-sharing agreement between the army and civilians negotiated after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
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Monday’s protests were staged mainly in the capital Khartoum, its neighbouring cities of Omdurman and North Khartoum.
Security forces fired tear gas to quell the protests, according to witnesses.
Monday’s protest came as the United States said it imposed sanctions on Sudan’s Central Reserve Police (CRP) over its use of “excessive force against pro-democracy protesters”, according to Treasury undersecretary Brian Nelson.
Under the sanctions, any CRP assets in the US will be frozen.
Sudanese authorities have repeatedly denied opening fire on protesters.
Sudanese teachers and doctors have recently staged strikes against security forces to protest violence and the worsening living conditions.
Last year’s military power grab has drawn wide international condemnation and cuts of crucial aid, which deepened the economic crisis in Sudan where prices of bread, fuel, and electricity have skyrocketed.
On Monday, Burhan headed to Saudi Arabia for talks following a similar trip to the United Arab Emirates where he discussed the ailing economy.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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