Sudan: Police Admit Killing Protester in Anti-Military Demonstrations

Facts

• Following a statement by the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors on Wednesday, Sudanese police acknowledged that its forces shot and killed a protester on Tuesday during a rally against military rule near the capital Khartoum.¹
• After initially claiming that demonstrators were aggressive toward officers, police ultimately blamed an individual action for the killing and announced that legal procedures had been taken against the policeman involved.²
• The protester — identified as Ibrahim Mazjoob — was shot dead in the East Nile area, just outside Khartoum. Mazjoob was reportedly the 125th protester to be killed in anti-government marches since the military took over the country in Oct. 2021.³
• Tuesday's was the latest in a string of near-weekly protests against a preliminary deal — reached last December between the junta and the main pro-democracy group — to arrange a gradual transfer of power.⁴
• The demonstrations — which have now entered their 17th month — have prompted tensions within the military, as army leaders urge for a clear timeline for the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).⁵
• It has been reported, however, that the RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Dagalo is unwilling to risk losing leverage by giving up control over his well-armed men, as he is allegedly nursing presidential ambitions.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³Associated Press, ⁴Africanews, ⁵The new arab and ⁶The national.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Dabanga radio tv online. While this tragic killing has shocked the country and the global community, it is crucial that those opposing the Framework Agreement do not succeed in instrumentalizing it to encourage parallel processes. The deal struck by military authorities and a civilian coalition is the best basis to form a civilian-led transitional government and restore normalcy in Sudan.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Africanews. This police killing unveils how deplorable it is that some allegedly pro-democracy civilian leaders have struck the preliminary Framework Agreement deal with the junta, giving immunity to those who dragged the country into this chaos instead of bringing them to justice. The nation will not accept this absurdity.