Khartoum - Seven people were killed and 2,496 arrested during
peaceful anti-government protests in Sudan over the weekend,
state-run media reported Monday, citing the country's interior
minister.
Bushara Aror told parliament that 15 civilians had also been injured,
as well as 42 members of the security forces, according to state-run
news agency SUNA.
Protests against the rule of long-time President Omar al-Bashir,
meanwhile, continued in the capital of Khartoum, with tens of
thousands of people staging a sit-in at the army headquarters on
Monday.
Some witnesses, including a dpa reporter, put the number of
demonstrators at close to 1 million people.
In the presence of heavily armed security forces and riot police,
protesters were chanting slogans to encourage the army to help them
overthrow al-Bashir's government. Some held placards that read: "The
army and the people are one" and "One army is unity."
Earlier on Monday, security forces unsuccessfully tried to disperse
demonstrators by using tear gas, but the army stepped in to protect
the protesters, the reporter said.
Security forces injured three soldiers and several civilians, an army
official told dpa on condition of anonymity.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres entreated all those involved to
exercise restraint and avoid violence. He said the UN stands ready to
support any efforts to peacefully resolve the country's crisis,
according to a statement from his spokesman.
Guterres also called for "full respect for human rights, including
the freedom of assembly, the freedom of expression, and the release
of detained protestors."
The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) had called for widespread
rallies and a march on the army headquarters on Saturday, the 34th
anniversary of the 1985 uprising that toppled the then-government of
president Gaafar Nimeiry.
The military removed Nimeiry before handing over power to an elected
government, which in turn was overthrown by al-Bashir in a coup in
1989.
The East African nation has seen ongoing protests since December
2018, when a sharp hike in bread and fuel prices caused a public
outcry.
The oil-rich country's economy was badly affected when it split with
South Sudan in 2011, and the government is currently facing an
economic crisis while also battling several rebel groups.