"No to military power", "No to the government of hunger".
Thousands of Sudanese demonstrated on Wednesday April 6 in several regions of the country, and in Khartoum a young demonstrator was shot dead.
The protesters against the coup of October 25, 2021 had chosen to demonstrate on April 6 to mark a double anniversary: that of two revolts (1985 and 2019) which, 34 years apart, brought down two putschist presidents.
For several days on social networks, activists in Sudan, mired in a serious political and economic crisis since General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane's putsch on October 25, have been promising "the storm" or "the April 6 earthquake".
They want, they say, to end the generals - almost always in power in 66 years of independence - and especially the high cost of living, with a Sudanese pound in free fall and inflation at more than 250%.
Tear gas grenades in Khartoum
On this day of Ramadan, declared a holiday by the military power and under overwhelming heat, the demonstrators went out in the South, the coastal East or Darfur, a region of the West ravaged by wars, witnesses reported to the AFP.
In Khartoum, marches were greeted by volleys of tear gas canisters fired by security forces, according to witnesses.
Same shots in Omdurman, its suburbs, and Wad Madani (South).
Security forces "stormed" a hospital in the Sudanese capital, firing tear gas canisters and "causing respiratory problems in doctors and patients", said a union of pro-democracy doctors.
In the evening, this union announced the death of a 19-year-old protester.
"April, month of victories"
"April is the month of victories for the Sudanese," enthuses Jaafar Hassan, of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FLC), an anti-Bashir civil coalition which was shattered by the putsch.
On April 6, 1985, the streets pushed the army to oust President Jaafar al-Nimeiri, himself an officer.
On April 6, 2019, the crowd began a sit-in and forced the generals to put an end to 30 years of General Omar al-Bashir's dictatorship a few days later.
Three years later to the day, "we want to free the putschists and never experience coups again," protester Badoui Bachir told AFP in Khartoum.
The authorities closed Tuesday evening in Khartoum the bridges leading to the suburbs and deployed troops near the headquarters of the army and the presidential palace, the two headquarters of General Burhane, which concentrate the popular fury.
94 dead
Since October, the repression of the anti-coup has left 94 dead and hundreds injured, the roundups of militants have continued, according to pro-democracy doctors.
In retaliation for the putsch, the state lost all international aid - that is 40% of its budget.
Since then, the price of bread has skyrocketed, that of electricity has multiplied by six and that of gasoline varies from one hour to another...
At the same time, the putsch created a security vacuum, which encouraged looting, tribal conflicts, armed attacks and rapes in different regions.
General Burhane continues to maintain that he "will only hand over power to a trusted and elected authority that suits everyone".
And he threatens more and more thunderously to expel the UN envoy who pleads for negotiations and a return to the military-civilian partnership.
Opposite, among civilians, the idea of a new alliance with the military has fizzled.
With AFP
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