In Sudan, the number of protestors killed whilst demanding a civilian government has risen to 63, following the deaths of several citizens yesterday afternoon, Sunday 9 January.
Protests demanding a fully civilian government were seen in the capital Khartoum and across the country’s governorates on Sunday. In the capital, security forces fired tear gas to prevent demonstrators from reaching the Presidential Palace.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Sudan, Volker Perthes, has described the Sudanese security forces’ previous use of excessive force against protestors as “extremely disturbing”.
The UN official said in a Tweet that such force “contradicts commitments made by security forces to avoid such tactics, which undermine trust”, and demanded that “this persistent tendency cease immediately.”
Since 25 October Sudan has been suffering a profound crisis, after the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, dissolved the Sovereign Council and declared a state of emergency. Numerous ministers and governors were dismissed, and a number of party leaders and officials were arrested. Protests began immediately, in response to what many views as a “military coup”.
Following these events, the number of Sudanese people requiring humanitarian aid has increased, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has announced. Approximately 14.3 million people will require such aid in 2022, the highest number in a decade, the OCHA has said.
The majority of those that will require humanitarian aid is already vulnerable, said the OCHA.
