KHARTOUM — Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based satellite news channel, reported Sunday that its Sudan bureau chief was being held by security forces. This came a day after protests in the country against the military coup last month.
Twitter account of the network stated that Sudanese forces invaded the home al-Musallami al-Kabbashi, and took him into custody.
This development came a day after security forces used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protestors who were critical of the military’s grip on the country. Activists claim that at least five people were killed and many others were injured.
Al-Jazeera didn’t provide any details about al-Kabbashi’s detention, and Sudanese officials couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.
On Saturday, thousands of protestors for democracy marched across Sudan to protest the military coup that took place last month. International criticism has been levelled at the takeover, and protests erupted in Khartoum and other parts of the country.
According to the Sudan Doctors Committee, the killings occurred in Khartoum, Omdurman and its twin city. Four people were killed by gunshots, while one was injured by a tear gas canister. It said that several other protesters were also wounded by gunshots.
Pro-democracy movements called the rallies after Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the coup leader, was reappointed as head of the Sovereign Council. This is Sudan’s interim governing council. The pro-democracy alliance was upset by the move and it frustrated the United States, and other countries that had urged them to reverse the coup.
Pro-democracy activists condemned the “excessive use of force” against protesters Saturday. The Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change declared that they will continue to fight for a civilian government and called for mass demonstrations Wednesday.
Oct. 25 saw the Sudanese military take power, dissolving the transitional government, and arresting many politicians and officials. This took place more than two years after the popular uprising that forced Omar al-Bashir’s ouster and his Islamist government to be removed from power.
