Medical association says dozens killed during attempt to disperse sit-in outside defence ministry

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

At least 30 people have died after Sudanese security forces launched a massive crackdown against protesters at a central Khartoum sit-in..

Heavily armed paramilitaries attacked the site of a sit-in in the capital that has been the centre of a campaign to bring democratic reform shortly after dawn on Monday, firing teargas and live ammunition.

Witnesses reported that the security personnel belonged to the feared Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force that was heavily armed by Omar al-Bashir, the former president.

Bashir’s repressive 30-year rule ended in April when he was ousted by the army following months of massive pro-democracy demonstrations in Khartoum and elsewhere.

Factions within the military appear to have decided to put an end to the pro-reform protests after months of negotiations with civilian leaders and activists for transition to democracy.

Pro-reform campaigners remained defiant despite the violence.

Sudanese crackdown comes after talks with Egypt and Saudis Read more

“This is a critical point in our revolution. The military council has chosen escalation and confrontation … Now the situation is us or them; there is no other way,” said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which has spearheaded the protests.

A medical association said that at least 30 people had been killed, including an eight-year-old child, but activists say the true number is likely to be much higher with bodies still unrecovered from the protest site attacked in the early morning.

There are also claims that many bodies were thrown into the river Nile by security forces.

Hospitals in central Khartoum struggled to cope with the numbers of injured and appealed for surgeons to volunteer to help.

“Wounded people are lying on the ground in the reception area as there are not enough beds,” sad Azza al-Amel, a doctor at the Royal Care hospital.

The RSF have been accused of systematic human rights abuses. They are led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who also serves as deputy head of the transitional military council, the country’s governing committee.

During the afternoon, the RSF were reported to have taken up positions throughout Khartoum and the neighbouring city Omdurman, beating traders and other residents.

Doctors said the RSF had also entered hospitals, firing weapons, beating medical staff and injuring protesters.

The news of the crackdown sparked unrest around Khartoum. Hundreds of protesters were also reported to have blocked roads with stones and burning tyres in Omdurman, the twin city neighbouring the Sudanese capital.

Live images broadcast by Arab television stations showed tents used by the protesters on fire, as other demonstrators ran away from the scene.

In footage on social media, bloodied protesters could be seen on the ground as vehicles manned by armed men in uniforms drove at speed through the streets. Several video clips showed groups of RSF fighters beating and shooting at civilians, including traders.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters block a road with burning tyres and paving stones in Khartoum on Monday. Photograph: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images

A witness living in the Burri neighbourhood in east Khartoum said he could “hear the sound of gunfire and I see a plume of smoke rising from the area of the sit-in”.

People in Omdurman reported extensive shooting in the streets of the city.

“There is no transportation, all the streets are blocked by protesters responding to the SPA’s call … Tyres are burning,” said one resident.

There were also reports of security forces breaking up demonstrations elsewhere in Sudan, though it was unclear if there had been casualties.

Foreign journalists in Khartoum said they were being confined to a hotel by unidentified security personnel.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the main pro-reform groups, called on Sudanese people to take part in “total civil disobedience” to topple the military council and for people for take to the streets to protest.

The Sudanese Air Pilots Association was reported to have decided to support the call, which could severely affect flights to Khartoum. Other professional bodies also said they would strike in protest at fresh outbreaks of violence.

Sudan has been ruled by a military committee known as the transitional military council since the fall of the dictator Bashir in April.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chair of the African Union, said he strongly condemned the violence and called on the council “to protect the civilians from further harm”.

It is unclear if the military had backed the crackdown, raising the prospect of a dangerous split within security forces.

In a statement the ruling council blamed “criminals” for the violence and called for a resumption of negotiations on the future of the country.

Experts have previously warned of a “nightmare scenario” in which infighting among militia and soldiers leads to a complete collapse of the state.

Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the interim leader of Sudan, visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following the breakdown of talks with representatives of the pro-democracy coalition last month.

Though consensus on the broad outlines of a deal to install a civilian government had been reached, protracted negotiations between a coalition of pro-reform groups and the military have foundered on the question of who would dominate the top decision-making body during an interim period.

The pro-reform groups feared the military would not hand over power at the end of the supposed transition.

Egypt called on both the military and protesters to exercise restraint.

Irfan Siddiq, the British ambassador in Sudan, said he was extremely concerned by the heavy gunfire he had heard from his official home in Khartoum and the reports that Sudanese security forces were attacking the protest sit-in site. “[There is] no excuse for any such attack,” he said on Twitter.

The military rulers of Sudan were responsible for the crackdown, the US embassy in Khartoum said. “Sudanese security forces’ attacks against protesters and other civilians are wrong and must stop,” it said.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called Monday’s attack on the sit-in a “real setback” and urged Sudanese authorities to “immediately” halt such attacks and open an independent investigation into the use of excessive force against protesters.