Renewed antimilitary protests rocked Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Monday, as the country showed no sign of emerging from a deadly trial of wills pitting its ruling generals against a pro-democracy movement determined to remove them from power.
Witnesses said thousands took to the streets of the capital and other cities to show solidarity with an estimated 200 politicians and pro-democracy activists detained by the military in recent weeks.
Pro-democracy lawyer Enaam Attik said the authorities have ordered that more than 40 people arrested in a crackdown on the protests be freed.
Among the slogans on banners and placards at the rallies on Monday was one saying: “Yes to freedom, no to detentions.”
The demonstrators also carried banners bearing the images of killed and detained protesters.
At least 82 people have been killed — many shot dead — and thousands wounded by the security forces during protests, according to medics.
The latest fatality came on Sunday when a hospital patient on the balcony of his hospital room was killed by a stray bullet during antimilitary protests in Khartoum, according to a medical group aligned with the opposition.
It said Faisal Abdul Rahman, 51, had been recovering from a leg amputation.
Protesters on Monday marched on Bahri, to the north of Khartoum city, rather than on the Republican Palace in the capital itself. The palace has been the target of almost all past protests since a military takeover last year derailed the country’s democratic transition.
Held under the slogan, “The morning will come; and neither the prison nor the prisoner will be there,” protesters in Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum, were prevented from crossing the river into Bahri by security forces using tear gas and stun grenades, according to witnesses.
In the city of Wad Wadani, south of Khartoum, protesters called on the military “to go back to the barracks".
In the eastern state of Gedaref they chanted, “Civilian is the people's choice,” according to witness Amal Hussein.
Demonstrators also marched to rally outside a government building in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan but security forces halted them with tear gas, according to witnesses.
In the eastern border state of Kassala, young protesters chanted, “No, no to military rule,” as they headed towards a military base in the city, witness Hussein Idris said.
Mass street rallies have been held in Khartoum and across much of the vast Afro-Arab nation since the military last October derailed the country’s democratic transition, following the 2019 removal of longtime leader Omar Al Bashir.
Activists have vowed to continue to demonstrate against the military takeover.
“The situation is very foggy at the moment and we are left with no clear indication of where things are headed or what goes on behind closes doors,” said prominent activist Sulaima Ishaq, a veteran of the 2018-19 uprising that toppled Al Bashir.
“Generally, it’s not looking good for the prospect of democracy or civilian rule, but we will continue to resist until we bring down military rule,” she said.
The arrests and the killings are part of a widening military crackdown on the protest movement being led by army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan. This has given rise to claims among the pro-democracy movement that the military always intended to stay in power, rather than oversee a transition to civilian rule.
Gen Al Burhan has repeatedly assured the Sudanese that he has no interest in ruling the country and that he and the military planned to go back to their barracks if a consensus between the country’s stakeholders is reached or free elections are held in 2023 as planned.
Pro-democracy activists, however, claim that some of the actions and comments by Gen Al Burhan point to his political ambitions and cite the country’s 50 years of military rule since independence in 1956 as evidence of a military establishment convinced of its inherent right to rule.
In an interview with state television this month, Gen Al Burhan suggested that a presidential system would be a better fit for Sudan than a parliamentary system. The latter has been the system of choice during the brief spells of democratic rule in Sudan in the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s.
He also suggested that presidential elections should be held before next year’s parliamentary vote, but gave no details. He signalled his opposition to how the UN is handling its bid to bring all stakeholders to the negotiating table to chart a way out of the political crisis.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Brackets denote aggregate score
Tuesday:
Roma (1) v Shakhtar Donetsk (2), 11.45pm
Manchester United (0) v Sevilla (0), 11.45pm
Wednesday:
Besiktas (0) v Bayern Munich (5), 9pm
Barcelona (1) v Chelsea (1), 11.45pm
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
