UPDATE – Thousands protest in Sudan on anniversary of deadly sit-in dispersal

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Buhram Abdel-Men'em

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Thousands of Sudanese demonstrators staged rallies on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of a deadly sit-in dispersal, in which dozens of protesters were killed.

More than 60 protesters were killed when security forces violently dispersed a protest camp outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum on June 29, 2019. The day coincided with the 29th day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Opposition groups, however, say more than 128 people were killed in the dispersal.

Protesters marched in the capital Khartoum and several other cities, including Bahri and Omdurman amid chants against the military, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter on the ground.

“No to military rule,” and “Full civilian state” were among banners waved by protesters during the rallies.

Saturday’s protests were called by the popular resistance committees, which spearhead the current wave of protests against the military.

Ahead of the protests, the Sudanese authorities ordered a ban on all gatherings in central Khartoum.

Sudan has been in turmoil since Oct. 25, 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a “military coup”.

Prior to the military takeover, Sudan was governed by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials tasked with overseeing the transition period until elections in 2023.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar and Ahmed Asmar in Ankara