AU condemns killing of protestors in Sudan

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has condemned the killing of at least 10 people and wounding of several others during demonstrations in Khartoum and other cities across Sudan on 17 November 2021.

Faki also called out continued violence against opposition activists.

"He further reiterated on the need to comply with continental and international human rights frameworks and to hold to account those using excessive force against civilian protesters," the statement said.

The AU chairperson extended his condolences to bereaved families and strongly called on security forces to refrain from excessive use of force against unarmed civilians exercising their basic political rights.

He urged Sudan authorities to restore constitutional order and the democratic transition in line with a 2019 power-sharing deal between the military and the now-deposed civilian figures.

Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25 declared a state of emergency, ousted the government and detained the civilian leadership.

The military takeover upended a two-year transition to civilian rule, drew wide international condemnation and punitive measures, as well as provoking people to take to the streets.

On Saturday, pro-democracy activists made online calls for mass anti-coup protests with a "million-strong march on November 21".

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) have urged protesters to keep up their campaign.

The SPA is an umbrella of unions which were instrumental in the months-long demonstrations that led to the ousting of president Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

Medics said that the protests on Wednesday in North Khartoum, which lies across the Nile river from the capital provoked the deadliest day so far, with the toll of those killed now standing at 16 after a teenager who was shot in the head died.

Police officials deny using any live ammunition and insist they have used "minimum force" to disperse the protests. They have recorded only one death, among demonstrators in North Khartoum.

Edited by B. Oruta