Sudanese forces shoot dead a protestor
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The Sudanese armed forces shot dead a protestor that was demonstrating for the return of civilian rule in the coup-hit country.
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Sudanese protestors march during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan, November 13, 2021 (EPA)
Sudanese security forces fatally shot a protestor in the capital, Khartoum, medics said on Sunday as the country is only two days away from the anniversary of the military coup that saw Sudan deviating from its path toward civilian rule.
118 demonstrators have died since the demonstrations sprung into action last year, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors revealed, noting that Sunday's death marked the first since August 31.
October 25 marks one year since the coup, led by army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan
Tuesday marks one year since the October 25 coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a year marked by near-weekly anti-coup rallies and a crackdown on protests by the authorities.
Sudan witnessed a military coup in April 2019, sparked by mass protests in the midst of a profound economic crisis and a steep decrease in living conditions. President Omar al-Bashir, who had reigned for 30 years, was deposed and imprisoned as a result.
However, last year's coup curtailed the transition to civilian rule launched after its predecessor coup.
On Friday, thousands of people took to city streets across Sudan to demand a return to civilian rule in one of the world's poorest countries as it sinks even further into political and economic crisis.
Sudan's coup leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan laid off in July the last civilian members of the Sudanese Sovereign Council after he announced that the council would dissolve to make way for a technocrat government.
Protesters took to the streets again in protest of the pledge. In Khartoum, hundreds of women protesters chanted "The blood of the martyrs did not flow in vain," addressing protesters who have been killed in the violence. The protesters, furthermore, demanded that the soldiers return to the barracks.
While a civilian government will be formed, concerns are being raised about the establishment of a new "Supreme Council of the Armed Forces," which will be a body in charge of defense and security, according to Al-Burhan. This body would integrate the regular army with the Rapid Support Forces, his paramilitary group.
Following a meeting with the head of state General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in mid-September, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said that Sudan's military leaders agreed to civilian political forces naming a prime minister and head of state.
The statement added that military generals "would exit the political scene and focus fully on its duties as laid out in the constitution and the law" following the appointment of a civilian government.
More recently, on Friday, thousands of people took to city streets across Sudan to demand a return to civilian rule in one of the world's poorest countries as it sinks even further into a political and economic crisis.
The economic situation is only getting worse, with three-digit inflation and a third of the country's 45 million people suffering from food shortages.
