Sudan military coup: Soldiers open fire on protesters, reportedly killing 3 and injuring 140

Soldiers in Khartoum, capital of Sudan reportedly opened fire on protesters Monday night, October 25, killing three people according to AFP. 

 Sudan’s top military general declared a state of emergency and dissolved the government after plotting a coup on Monday, resulting in crowds of people taking to the streets to protest. 

 General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s announcement came after the armed forces detained the civilian leaders who have been heading the transition to full civilian rule following the April 2019 overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir. 

 “To rectify the revolution’s course, we have decided to declare a state of emergency nationwide… dissolve the transitional sovereign council, and dissolve the cabinet,” said Burhan.

Clashes erupted in the capital Khartoum after his speech, with the information ministry saying that soldiers had “fired live bullets on protesters rejecting the military coup outside the army headquarters”.

 Three protesters were killed and about 140 people wounded when soldiers opened fire, according to the independent Central Committee of Sudan Doctors. 

 “Civilian rule is the people’s choice,” chanted the demonstrators, who waved flags and used tyres to create burning barricades.

The move by the Sudanese military also sparked swift condemnation from the US, who have suspended aid and urged that civilian government be restored. 

 The UN demanded the prime minister’s “immediate release” and diplomats in New York told AFP the Security Council was expected to meet to discuss the crisis on Tuesday.