Sudanese security forces target sit-in; deaths reported

KHARTOUM

Several people, including a soldier, have been killed in violence within the last 48 hours outside the Sudanese army’s Khartoum headquarters, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors asserted on Monday.

In a statement, the committee said a number of people had been killed over the past two days -- it did not say how many -- amid continued attempts by security forces to break up a sit-in outside army HQ that began on Saturday.

Protesters demand the immediate resignation of embattled President Omar al-Bashir.

Spokesmen for the army and government have yet to respond to the committee’s assertions.

Amid the tumult, Antonio Guterres urged "all actors to exercise utmost restraint and avoid violence."

UN "calls for full respect for human rights, including the freedom of assembly, the freedom of expression, and the release of detained protestors," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

He further called on the government of Sudan to create a conducive environment for a solution to the current situation and to promote an inclusive dialogue, the statement said.