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‘No to army rule’: Pro-democracy protesters take to Sudan streets

Demonstrators in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, block roads with makeshift barricades and burning tyres.

Sudanese female protesters hold placards reading, 'Military government down'
Sudanese protesters hold placards reading: 'Military government down' during a protest in Khartoum [Mohammed Abu Obaid/EPA]
Published On 27 Oct 2021

Pro-democracy protesters blocked roads in Sudan’s capital with makeshift barricades and burning tyres on Tuesday, a day after the military arrested senior officials and seized power in a coup.

Troops fired on crowds a day earlier, killing several protesters, according to doctors.

The seizure, which drew widespread international condemnation, came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and the pace of Sudan’s transition to democracy.

It threatens to derail that process, which has progressed in fits and starts since the overthrow of longtime strongman Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising two years ago.

Some protesters remained in the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Tuesday morning, with many roads blocked.

A bigger test of how the military will respond to the resistance could come on Saturday when protesters plan a mass march to demand a return to civilian rule.

Sudanese protesters chant slogans next to burning tires during a demonstration
Protesters blocked roads in Khartoum with makeshift barricades and burning tyres. [Mohammed Abu Obaid/EPA]
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Demonstrators in Khartoum stood their ground on barricaded streets where tyres burned, chanting "No to military rule". [Mohammed Abu Obaid/EPA]
Shops across the capital were shuttered following calls for a campaign of civil disobedience. [Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu]
The only people in the streets apart from protesters were security forces heavily deployed around the presidential palace and the ministry of Defence. [Marwan Ali/AP Photo]
The coup drew international condemnation, including from the United Nations. [Mohammed Abu Obaid/EPA]
Western countries have denounced the coup, called for the detained cabinet ministers to be freed and said they will cut off vital aid if the military does not restore power-sharing with civilians. [Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu]
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A group of neighbourhood resistance committees in Khartoum announced a schedule of further barricades and protests leading to what it said would be a "march of millions" on Saturday. [Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu]