Photo taken on Feb. 4, 2022 shows a dust storm hitting the Sudanese capital Khartoum, causing reduced visibility, with the Sudanese Meteorological Authority warning drivers to exercise caution.(Photo: Xinhua)
Sudanese security forces arrested a senior opposition leader Tuesday, as officers fired tear gas to stop thousands of protesters rallying against 2021's military coup, an AFP correspondent said.
The demonstrations were the latest since an October 25 military takeover led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, which was followed by a broadening crackdown on civilian and pro-democracy figures in the northeast African nation.
At least 85 people have been killed and hundreds wounded by security forces during more than four months of protests demanding civilian rule and justice for those killed in demonstrations, according to medics.
On Tuesday, security forces fired a barrage of acrid tear gas at crowds heading toward the presidential palace, with several people injured, an AFP correspondent said.
The ruling Sovereign Council is based at the palace along the Nile river in Khartoum.
Tuesday's protests coincided with International Women's Day.
Crowds chanted slogans in support of Sudanese women - who have played a key role in the recent protest movement, as well as in rallies that paved the way to the 2019 ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.
"Long live the 'Kandakas,'" the crowd shouted, using the name for ancient Nubian queens.
In North Khartoum, many waved national flags or carried posters of fellow demonstrators who have been killed, witnesses said.
Also on Tuesday, prominent politician Babiker Faisal was arrested while he was attending a funeral in North Khartoum, according to Sudan's Unionist Alliance, a pro-democracy political party.
Faisal was a member of the committee tasked with recovering properties seized during Bashir's three-decade rule, before he was toppled and jailed.
In February, several senior committee members were arrested, including Mohamed al-Fekki, who was also a member of Sudan's Sovereign Council before he was ousted in the October coup.
Since the military takeover, authorities have accused the committee of misappropriating funds that it confiscated, accusations its members deny.
The military power-grab derailed a transition to full civilian rule negotiated between military and civilian leaders following Bashir's ouster.
On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council said it estimated around 1,000 people have been arrested since the coup, including women and children.
"The Sudanese authorities must cease to use excessive force and live ammunition against protesters," said UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, calling for the release of detainees.
Hers was the latest such call from UN figures and the US. The most recent protester killings occurred on February 28 when two died, according to medics.
AFP