Sudanese Military Coup: 23 Dead, 100 Injured By Live Bullets

JAKARTA - The death toll from Sudan's latest anti-coup protests over the weekend has risen to eight, medics said, bringing the total number of those killed since last month's military takeover to at least 23.

Three teenagers were among those who lost their lives during the latest mass protests at the weekend, which were met with the deadliest crackdown since the October 25 coup.

"The confirmed death toll since the coup has so far reached 23," Sudan's Central Committee of Doctors said Monday, quoted by Al Jazeera November 16.

The union said eight of the protesters who died, including 13-year-old Remaaz Hatim al-Atta, died from being shot in the head while in front of his family home in Khartoum, and Omar Adam who was shot in the neck during protests in the capital.

"More than 200 wounded have been surveyed so far, including 100 injured (shoot) with live bullets," the union said, adding others were injured with rubber bullets and tear gas in Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman.

Sudan's supreme general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25 declared a state of emergency, dissolved the government, and detained civilian leaders.

The military takeover sparked international condemnation, including cuts in punitive aid, with world powers demanding a swift return to civilian rule.

The move sparked protests, despite the internet being down and the disruption of communication lines, prompting activists to spread protest calls through graffiti and SMS messages.

State television reported that 39 police personnel were "severely injured" in confrontations with protesters on Saturday. Police accused protesters of attacking the police station and vehicles, saying the demonstration "started peacefully but quickly deviated from the track".

They denied using "live ammunition", saying they only used "minimum force". Saturday's demonstrations came two days after army chief General al-Burhan announced a new civilian-military governing body to replace the one he ousted.

The new transitional council includes figures from the military and from groups of former rebels from the ousted council. It also consisted of several little-known civilians who replaced members of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the main civilian body that spearheaded the 2019 protests against then-President Omar al-Bashir. The FFC has also led calls for a transition to civilian rule.

Meanwhile, rifts began to emerge among the pro-democracy movement over calls for a group of political parties and the movement to return to the pre-coup power-sharing agreement between the protesters and the generals.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the uprising against al-Bashir, criticized the call, insisting on handing power to civilians.

The SPA said it would work with resistance committees and other groups to overthrow the military council and form a civilian government to lead the transition to democracy.

Separately, the United Nations has criticized the military's latest unilateral move, while Western countries said it "complicates efforts to get Sudan's democratic transition back on track".

For information, General al-Burhan reiterated the military move on October 25 "not a coup" but a push to "improve the course of the transition".