Sudan opposition says 20 killed since rally at army HQ held

A Sudanese woman with her face painted in Arabic words "Just fall, that's all" flashes the victory sign during an anti-government protests in Khartoum on April 9, 2019. Armed men wearing masks have killed 20 people in morning attacks against anti-government protesters, the opposition said. PHOTO | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Sudan's Interior Minister Bushara Juma said on Monday that seven protesters died.
  • Officials say 38 people have died so far in protest related violence.
  • Thousands of protesters have massed outside the army headquarters for a fourth straight day.

Khartoum

Armed men wearing masks have killed 20 people in morning attacks against anti-government protesters massed outside the army headquarters in Sudan's capital, the country's main opposition leader said Tuesday.

Sadiq al-Mahdi, former premier and now a protest organiser against President Omar al-Bashir's government, said the attacks had been carried out every morning since the sit-in began on April 6.

MASKED MEN

"There are armed men in masks attacking people at the sit-in every morning," Mahdi, chief of the opposition National Umma Party, told reporters in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum.

"This has left 20 martyrs."

Sudan's Interior Minister Bushara Juma said on Monday that seven protesters died, including six in the state of Khartoum, when security forces dispersed anti-government protests held on April 6.

Officials say 38 people have died so far in protest related violence since demonstrations erupted across Sudan December.

Thousands of protesters have massed outside the army headquarters for a fourth straight day, demanding that the military's top brass back them in demanding Bashir's resignation.