Teargas, More Deaths as Pro-Democracy Protests Continue in Sudan

Sudanese security forces fired teargas at anti-coup protesters in capital city Khartoum. Security forces also shot and killed four protesters on  December 30, 2021 in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, according to medics, as thousands demonstrated against military rule, Deutsche Welle reports.

Demonstrators came close to the presidential palace, currently the headquarters of the military chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, before they were met by a heavy security presence. According to eyewitnesses, similar scenes played out elsewhere in Sudan.

Protesters are calling for a return to civilian rule. Pro-democracy activists have been able to maintain momentum on the streets for their movement against the October 25, 2021 coup, that saw civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok placed under house arrest for weeks.

In November 2021 the U.S. sealed a partnership deal with Hamdok. It saw him reinstated with elections promised for 2023, though his credibility took a blow in the process. Critics assert that the deal was a gift for the military and provided a facade of legitimacy to the coup.