Sudanese demonstrators march through tear gas to protest coup

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The Sudanese security forces fired tear gas Thursday at protestors demanding justice for the 79 protestors who died at the hands of the Sudanese forces after a rights group released details documenting that Khartoum used "lethal forces" in their crackdown against demonstrators.

Protestors in Khartoum denounced the coup and called for the restoration of the transition to civilian rule, building makeshift barriers to block the roads as demonstrators in North Khartoum chanted against security forces as they hurled tear gas at both crowds in a bid to disperse them.

Around 5,000 people gathered outside the home of a 27-year-old victim of police brutality in Omdurman, one of 79 protestors killed during the rallies demanding an end to the Army's rule.

As the police fired tear gas at protestors, Burhan met with UN special representative Volker Perthes, who urged him to "end the violence that accompanies the demonstrations," state media said.

Despite the Sudanese authorities denying the usage of live ammunition against demonstrators, Khartoum said they had recently "confiscated" rifles from the homes of officers who had been caught using them in video recordings.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday the security forces at rallies last month had "used live ammunition against unarmed protesters", reporting that anti-riot police had also "fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters at the front of the march."

HRW that the police were very violent on January 17, claiming the lives of eight protestors and marking the demonstrations' bloodiest day.

Three protesters were killed last week by live bullets, as thousands of Sudanese demonstrated in Khartoum and the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors reported that more than 2,000 demonstrators have been injured during the ongoing protests.

The violent crackdown led Sudan's biggest civilian opposition group, the Forces for Freedom and Change, to call for two days of civil disobedience to mourn the lives lost during the demonstrations.

The political crisis has plunged Sudan deeper into an economic crisis that threatens the lives of many, and that is exacerbated by Western sanctions on the mostly military-controlled economy of Sudan.

The Army controls vast business enterprises, ranging from poultry farming to construction, and the United States had suspended $700 million in assistance to Sudan after the coup, warning that a continued crackdown by the authorities would have "consequences".