Sudan committee says 87 killed in sit-in dispersal

KHARTOUM

A total of 87 people have been killed in the June 3 dispersal of a sit-in protest near the army headquarters in Khartoum, a Sudanese investigation committee said Saturday.

Addressing a press conference in the Sudanese capital, Fath al-Rahman Saeed, the committee head, said the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) has not ordered the dispersal of the protest camp.

“The TMC’s security committee has only given orders to clear the area of outlaws, but never ordered the dispersal of the sit-in itself,” he said.

Saeed, however, said nine senior officers, including two major generals from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have violated the orders.

“A force headed by an RSF major general attacked civilians with teargas and live ammunition, which led to the death and injury of protesters,” he said.

The sit-in outside the army headquarters was a focal point for protests demanding the handover of power from the TMC to a civilian administration.

While the opposition said 127 people were killed and 400 others injured in the sit-in dispersal, the Health Ministry had put the death toll at 61.

Sudan has remained in turmoil since April 11, when the military establishment ousted the long-serving President Omar al-Bashir after months of popular protests against his 30-year rule.