Protesters clash with police at anti-coup demo in Sudan

(30 Dec 2021) Sudanese security forces fired teargas on Thursday to disperse protesters in Khartoum, as thousands of people rallied again in the capital and elsewhere to protest the October military coup. Despite tightened security measures and bridge and road closures, protesters marched in the capital beating drums and waving Sudanese flags. They chanted "Revolution! The military belong in the barracks!" Demonstrators also hurled stones at security forces and armoured police vehicles from where tear gas was fired.   The protest was preceded by a disruption of the mobile internet service, according to advocacy group NetBlocs, a common tactic employed by the generals since their coup. "Our position is clear; we are opposed to any negotiations, partnership or compromise," said Shahinaz Gamal, a protester. "We came out today to bring down this council and to have a civilian democratic government afterwards." "We came out to bring down (military leader) Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the pro-Islamist regime, we are out looking for civilian government for Sudanese people," lawyer Mutasim Othman added. Similar protests took place in other parts of the country including the province of Kassla and the coastal city of Port Sudan. Despite the internet disruption, activists posted a few videos showing masked protesters rallying under clouds of gas. The October military takeover upended a fragile planned transition to democratic rule and led to street demonstrations across Sudan. At least 47 people were killed, and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the coup, according to a tally by a Sudanese medical group. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a former U.N. official seen as the civilian face of Sudan's transitional government, was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him. That deal, however, was rejected by the pro-democracy movement, which insists that power be handed over to a fully civilian government tasked with leading the transition. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...