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Sudan President Orders Probe Into Deaths of Protesters

  • Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans as they march along the street during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan Dec. 25, 2018.

    Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans as they march along the street during anti-government protests in Khartoum, Sudan Dec. 25, 2018. | Photo: Reuters

Published 2 January 2019
Opinion

Sudanese President Bashir ordered authorities to investigate the deaths of people taking part in anti-government protests. 

Coming under pressure from rights group, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ordered a probe into the deaths of protesters. On Tuesday, he ordered authorities to form an investigative panel.

RELATED:

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir: 3 Decades of Power and War Crimes

Official data reported 19 people killed during two weeks of protest in Sudan. But according to Amnesty International, at least 37 Sudanese were shot dead over the first five days of protests.

The official Sudan News Agency reported that Bashir has established a fact-finding mission to "look into the incidents of the past few days."

The Sudanese Doctors Committee said that hospitals have been treating protestors injured by live ammunition after protests in the capital of Khartoum Monday.

Since Dec. 19 when demonstrations started spreading, police have dispersed protesters with tear gas as well as using live ammunition in some cases, residents say. Authorities have shuttered schools and declared states of emergency and curfews in several states with the aim of weakening the demonstrations against Bashir.

Sudan’s economy has deteriorated dramatically in recent months with inflation now standing at 69 percent, and severe shortages of fuel and bread forcing people in the capital and other cities to form lines at bakeries and gas stations.

In October, Sudan sharply devalued its currency after the government asked a body of banks and money changers to set the exchange rate on a daily basis.

While not the direct cause of Sudan’s turbulent history, al-Bashir remains a controversial character who has reigned for almost half of the lifespan of the country, which gained its independence from the United Kingdom on Jan. 1, 1954.

He is the first head of state to be indicted for war crimes and still retain power.

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