At least 13 people have been killed after security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and fired live ammunition to break up a weeks-long sit-in.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, a medical group linked to protesters, said at least 13 people were killed and several wounded in the Monday morning raid, which was still in progress. The committee also said security forces used live ammunition inside East Nile Hospital in Khartoum where some of the wounded were being treated.

In a post on Twitter, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said the country's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) had assigned a large number of troops to disperse the protest camp.

The sound of heavy gunfire was heard in footage broadcast from the scene, while plumes of smoke were seen rising into the sky.

Mohammed Alamin, a journalist in Khartoum, told Al Jazeera troops from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) first used tear gas then sound grenades to disperse protesters. Soldiers then fired live rounds at the remaining protesters.

"They are now in control of most of the sit-in area and have burnt down the makeshift clinics. Most of the protesters have been dispersed. Soldiers are blocking all entrances to the area with military vehicles to stop protesters from returning," Alamin said.

Madani Abbas Madani, one of the protest leaders, was injured as troops dispersed the protesters, Alamin added.

High tension at the sit-in at army hq in Khartoum. #Sudan’s Central Doctors’ Committee is calling for doctors to mobilize and prepare for emergencies amidst concerns that an attempt will be made to break the sit-in nearly 2 months after it started. https://t.co/NU2GFsIZ45 — Hiba Morgan (@hiba_morgan) June 3, 2019

Speaking to Al Jazeera, witnesses spoke of soldiers being heavily armed and of using live ammunition against protesters who were peaceful and did nothing to provoke the troops.

"We are being attacked by the Rapid Support Forces and the police," Mamadou Abozeid, a protester in Khartoum, told Al Jazeera over the phone.

'Shooting at everyone'

Mohammed Elmunir, another protester in the Sudanese capital, said security forces blocked the exits of the sit-in site before opening fire on protesters.

"They were shooting at everyone randomly and people were running for their lives. They blocked all roads and most tents at the sit-in have been set on fire," Elmunir told Al Jazeera.

"People are very angry right now. They don't know what could happen next. Protesters have dispersed to other parts of the city. They are now on the streets protesting. Most people have blocked the roads in their neighbourhoods," he added.

In a statement, the SPA said the TMC would be held accountable for any bloodshed and called for a campaign of civil disobedience.

"It is imperative to go out to the streets to protect the revolution and the remaining dignity. Our weapons are peace courage," it said in a statement.

"We call on the revolutionaries in all neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities of Sudan to go out to the streets and start marching, closing all streets and bridges and ports. We call for a comprehensive civil disobedience to bring down the deadly military junta and complete our revolution."

Nawal Osman, a protester in Khartoum, said she and her husband were getting ready to leave their house and join the protesters.

"I am going there now, I live near the protest area," she told Al Jazeera over the phone. "This revolution is staying," she added. "We are all ready to be there, to protect the country and to get rid of those criminals."

Sudanese human rights activist Azaz Elshami said it was not surprising the military had resorted to using deadly force to deal with protesters.

"What is happening is the mask is finally falling. The military is not different from the government before it. They are not what they said they are. They don't want change and they want power for themselves. Now, everyone knows what they are up against. This is a new phase. It might take much longer, but I don't think Sudanese people will back down," Elshami told Al Jazeera.

'Barbaric act'

The sit-in has become the focal point of Sudan's protest movement, which saw longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir overthrown in April and has since been calling for the generals who replaced him to hand over power to a civilian-led administration.

The operation came days after Sudan's military rulers called the sit-in outside the defence ministry "a danger" to the country's national security and warned that action would be taken against what they called "unruly elements".

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The military also ordered the office of the Al Jazeera Media Network in Khartoum to be shut down, without giving any reason.

It withdrew the work permits for the correspondents and staff of the Qatar-based news organisation.

"People have started putting up barricades in many areas and it seems that the situation is aggravating," Hamid Eldood, a professor at Al-Neelain University, told Al Jazeera from Khartoum.

He added that the latest developments indicated a "tone change" by the members of the TMC following the visit by its head, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - also known as Hemeti - "to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates".

"It is really a barbaric act and it seems Sudan is heading towards civil war and a [bleak] future," Eldood said.

Additional reporting by Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum. </s> At least 35 demonstrators were killed and hundreds injured Monday as Sudanese security forces moved in to clear the main protest camp near the army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.

The latest figures were announced by protest organizers the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors. Eyewitnesses said security forces used live ammunition and teargas to disperse the protesters, who have been camping out near the military headquarters since the ouster of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir in April.

"Militias belonging to the government have aggressively attacked thousands of civilians in the sit-in," the Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) said in an earlier statement.

The Declaration of Freedom and Change alliance earlier said that 13 protesters had been killed and hundreds injured when security forces moved in to disperse the camp.

Opposition negotiator Abbas Medani was reportedly injured during the dispersal, according to eyewitnesses. “We are holding the Transitional Military Council (TMC) responsible for what happened this morning,” the SPA said, calling on protesters “to join the sit-in to resist this attempt”.

“We did not break up the sit-in by force,” spokesman Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi told Dubai-based Sky News Arabia. “Youth are moving freely and there is no soldier in the protest camp area,” he said. Kabbashi, however, said security forces only raided the “Colombia” area located below the iron bridge of Al-Nil Street in Khartoum, which he described as “dangerous”. He expects talks between protest leaders and the TMC on the transition to civilian rule to resume Monday or Tuesday.

The sit-in near the army headquarters has been the epicenter of protests demanding the TMC hand over power to a civilian government.

In early April, Sudan’s military establishment deposed al-Bashir following months of popular demonstrations against his 30-year rule. The TMC is now overseeing a two-year transitional period during which it has pledged to hold presidential elections. Demonstrators, however, have remained on the streets to demand that the TMC relinquish power at the earliest possible date to a civilian authority. </s> Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least 13 people were reported killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Footage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit.

Witnesses said a sit-in next to the Defense Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, had been cleared, but protesters poured onto the streets elsewhere in Khartoum and beyond in response to the crackdown.

The main protest group accused the ruling military council of breaking up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. The military council denied trying to break up the camp and said security forces had targeted “unruly” groups nearby.

An alliance of protest and opposition groups said it was halting all contact with the military council. The two sides had been negotiating for weeks over who should govern in a transitional period after Bashir’s overthrow, though the talks had stalled.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) had offered to let protesters form a government but insisted on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.

A group of doctors linked to the opposition said 13 “martyrs” had been killed in Monday’s violence, and that at least 116 people had been wounded. It said security forces had surrounded one Khartoum hospital and had opened fire at another where they were pursuing protesters.

“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that has spearheaded protests.

It urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.

The military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.

“The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”

The council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks, Kabbashi added, speaking before the alliance called off the negotiations. </s> KHARTOUM: Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least 13 people were reported killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al Bashir in April.

 Footage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit.

 Witnesses said a sit-in next to the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, had been cleared, but protesters poured onto the streets elsewhere in Khartoum and beyond in response to the crackdown.

 The main protest group accused the ruling military council of breaking up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. The military council denied trying to break up the camp and said security forces had targeted “unruly” groups nearby.

 An alliance of protest and opposition groups said it was halting all contact with the military council. The two sides had been negotiating for weeks over who should govern in a transitional period after Bashir’s overthrow, though the talks had stalled.

 The Transitional Military Council (TMC) had offered to let protesters form a government but insisted on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.

 A group of doctors linked to the opposition said 13 “martyrs” had been killed in Monday’s violence, and that at least 116 people had been wounded. It said security forces had surrounded one Khartoum hospital and had opened fire at another where they were pursuing protesters.

 “The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that has spearheaded protests.

 It urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.

 The military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.

 “The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”

 The council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks, Kabbashi added, speaking before the alliance called off the negotiations.

 The British Ambassador in Khartoum said he had heard heavy gunfire for more than an hour from his residence and he was extremely concerned.

 “No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” Ambassador Irfan Siddiq wrote on Twitter.

 Alyson King, the British government spokeswoman for the Middle East and North Africa, said the international community would hold the military council responsible for the violence.

 The US Embassy in Khartoum also described the attack on the protest camp as “wrong” and said it must stop.

 “Responsibility falls on the TMC. The TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan,” the embassy said on its Twitter account.

 The European Union called on the military leaders to allow people to protest peacefully and urged a speedy transfer of power to civilians. The African Union, which has given the military council until the end to June to hand over power to civilians, condemned the violence and called for an immediate investigation.

 Television footage showed black smoke rising from tents, apparently torched by the raiding force.

 Protesters poured into the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman and blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres after news of the raid spread, witnesses said.

 One protester in the northern city of Atbara said that protesters had also blocked off roads there. There were reports on social media of confrontations followed by new protests in other towns and cities and on inter-city roads. Reuters could not confirm those accounts independently.

 Internet users said connections were down.

 In Khartoum, demonstrators hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire.

 One video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appeared to be live fire.

 A Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.

 The military’s role in ousting Bashir has raised fears among many Sudanese that their country could follow a similar path to neighbouring Egypt after its 2011 uprising. — Reuters </s> CAIRO (AP) - Activists behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan say security forces have killed at least seven people, including a military officer, in another attempt to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital.

Sarah Abdel-Jaleel, spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, says clashes erupted early on Tuesday between security forces and protesters who have been camping out in front of the complex in Khartoum since the weekend.

The new deaths brought the total number of people killed by the security forces since Saturday to 15.

Abdel-Jaleel says at least 30 protesters were wounded in the violence. A government spokesman didn't respond to calls seeking comment.

The demonstrations began in December over an economic crisis but quickly escalated into calls for an end to President Omar al-Bashir's 30-year rule.

Protesters rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 8, 2019. Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan said security forces attempted to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters. A spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association told The Associated Press that clashes erupted early Monday between security forces and protesters, who have been camped out in front of the complex in Khartoum since Saturday. (AP Photo)

Protesters rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 8, 2019. Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan said security forces attempted to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters. A spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association told The Associated Press that clashes erupted early Monday between security forces and protesters, who have been camped out in front of the complex in Khartoum since Saturday. (AP Photo)

A protesters holds up a poster showing depicting Mahjoub El Taj Mahjoub, a second year student at the Faculty of Medicine of El Razi University, who was allegedly tortured and beaten to death by the National Intelligence and Security Service in January, at a rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 8, 2019. Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan said security forces attempted to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters. (AP Photo)

Protesters rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 8, 2019. Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan said security forces attempted to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters. A spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association told The Associated Press that clashes erupted early Monday between security forces and protesters, who have been camped out in front of the complex in Khartoum since Saturday. (AP Photo)

A protester holds up a police shield at a rally in front of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 8, 2019. Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan said security forces attempted to break up a sit-in outside the military headquarters. A spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association told The Associated Press that clashes erupted early Monday between security forces and protesters, who have been camped out in front of the complex in Khartoum since Saturday. (AP Photo) </s> Ashraf Shazly, AFP | A Sudanese man holds a national flag as protesters chant slogans during a demonstration outside the army headquarters in Khartoum on May 30, 2019.

At least two people were killed Monday as Sudan’s military council tried to break up a sit-in outside Khartoum’s army headquarters, a doctors’ committee said as gunfire was heard from the protest site.

“Two peaceful protesters were killed by live bullets fired at the orders of the Transitional Military Council,” the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Twitter without giving further details.

Gunfire was heard from the protest site by an AFP journalist, who reported a heavy deployment of security forces around the streets of the capital.

There were multiple reports of the military using force to disperse the sit-in in front of army headquarters, where protesters have been camped out for weeks.

“Now an attempt is taking place to disperse the sit-in at the headquarters of the people’s armed forces by force by the military council,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group which spearheaded nationwide protests that started in December.

Rallies against the authoritarian rule of Omar al-Bashir led to his ouster in April, but demonstrators have remained to call on the generals to cede power to a transitional authority.

Near the demonstration site, a witness living in the Burri neighbourhood said he could “hear the sound of gunfire and I see a plume of smoke rising from the area of the sit-in.”

Another resident of the area, in east Khartoum, said he had seen forces in “police uniform” trying to expel the demonstrators.

Britain’s ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, said he had heard “heavy gunfire” from his residence.

“Extremely concerned by... reports that Sudanese security forces are attacking the protest sit-in site resulting in casualties. No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” he wrote on Twitter.

The SPA said it amounted to a “bloody massacre”, and called on Sudanese to take part in “total civil disobedience” to topple the military council and for people for take to the streets to protest.

Demonstrators had closed off Street 60, one of the main streets in the capital with stone barricades and burning tree trunks and tires, an AFP journalist said.

The SPA had said on Saturday that it had reason to believe the military council was “planning and working to end the peaceful sit-in at the headquarters with excessive force and violence” after three people were killed in incidents on the fringes of the sit-in last week.

Negotiations between protest leaders and the ruling military council have broken down, as the two sides have failed to agree on whether a planned transitional body would be headed by a civilian or a military figure. </s> Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least nine people were reported to have been killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Footage broadcast by al-Hadath and Jazeera television showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit, the footage showed.

The main protest group accused the ruling military council of trying to break up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. But the council said the security forces had targeted criminals in an adjacent area.

The protesters and Sudan’s military rulers had been negotiating over who should govern in a transitional period following the overthrow of Bashir after months of generally peaceful demonstrations, but the talks have become deadlocked.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) has offered to let protesters form a government but insists on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. The demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.

Thousands of young men and women have been taking turns to camp outside the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December.

The opposition’s doctors committee said nine people had been killed in Monday’s violence.

“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” the protest group said in a statement.

It urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.

The military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.

“The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”

The council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks on a civilian transition soon, Kabbashi added.

The British Ambassador in Khartoum said he had heard heavy gunfire for more than an hour from his residence and he was extremely concerned.

“No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” Ambassador Irfan Siddiq wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum also described the attack on the protest camp as “wrong” and said it must stop.

“Responsibility falls on the TMC. The TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan,” the embassy said on its Twitter account.

The television footage showed black smoke rising from tents apparently torched by the raiding force.

Protesters poured into the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, on the opposite side of the River Nile, after news of the raid spread. Demonstrators blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres, witnesses said.

Demonstrators, some waving Sudanese flags, hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire.

A video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appeared as live fire.

A Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.

Bridges over the Nile have also been blocked.

There were no signs of any security forces in Omurdam.

Under Bashir, an Islamist former general who ruled for three decades and is wanted by international prosecutors for alleged war crimes in the Darfur region, Sudan was on a U.S. list of sponsors of terrorism.

Various powers, including wealthy Gulf Arab states, and now trying to influence its path. Stability is crucial for the security of a volatile region struggling against Islamist insurgencies, from the Horn of Africa through Egypt and Libya. </s> Sudan’s Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf said on Friday that he is stepping down as head of the Country’s transitional military council, a day after former president Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a coup.

Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan will be the new head of the transitional military council, Ibn Auf said in a speech broadcast on state television on Friday.

Ibn Auf said: “I, the head of the military council, announce I am giving up the post,” he said, adding he took the decision to preserve the unity of the armed forces.

He also said Chief of Staff Kamal Abdelmarouf al-Mahi was relieved of his position as deputy head of the transitional military council.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters have been rallying in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum, against the military takeover of power after ousting longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir on Thursday.

The Sudanese group spearheading a nationwide protest movement described a decision by the head of a newly formed military council to step down on Friday as a “victory” for the people.

“The stepping down of General Awad Ibn Ouf is a victory of the people’s will,” the Sudanese Professionals Association said.

Jubilation erupted across the capital in response to the resignation.

Ibn Auf was sworn in as de facto ruler late Thursday after leading the ouster of al-Bashir following months of protests.

Ibn Auf had been defense minister since 2015 before al-Bashir promoted him to first vice president in February as protests against him intensified.

16 dead in Khartoum from 'live fire' in 2 days: Sudan police



 Sixteen people have been killed by “live ammunition” in Khartoum during ongoing protests over the past two days, Sudan's police said on Friday.

“Sixteen people died and 20 were wounded by live ammunition” as the capital saw massive gatherings during the past two days, police spokesman General Hashim Abdelrahim told AFP in a text message.

Meanwhile, Sudan’s military council appealed on Friday for financial aid from regional peers to tackle a worsening economic crisis, a day after the ouster of president al-Bashir.

“We want your donations as we have some economic issues,” the head of the military council’s political committee, Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abdin, told Arab and African diplomats in a televised meeting, citing “a shortage of essential items like flour and fuel.” </s> At least nine people were killed when Sudanese security forces stormed a protest camp in central Khartoum early on Monday, a medical association affiliated to the protesters said, Reuters reports.

Talks between protesters and Sudan’s military rulers over who should govern during a transitional period following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir earlier this year are in deadlock.

“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” the main protest group said in a statement, urging the Sudanese people to come to their aid.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC), which assumed power in April when the military toppled Bashir after three decades in office, has offered to let protesters form a government to run the country but insists on maintaining overall authority during an interim period.

Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead the North African country of 40 million people to democracy.

Thousands of young men and women have been taking turns to camp outside the Defence Ministry since April. The site had became the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, sparked by a severe financial crisis that caused cash shortages and bread price hikes.

No statement about the violence has yet been issued by the TMC and a spokesman could not immediately be reached for a comment.

The British Ambassador in Khartoum said in a message on his Twitter account he was “extremely concerned by the heavy gunfire I’ve been hearing over the last hour from my Residence and reports that Sudanese security forces are attacking the protest sit-in site resulting in casualties”.

“No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” he wrote.

Live television footage on showed chaotic scenes, with protesters running away as black smoke rose from tents apparently torched by the raiding forcse.

Demonstrators, some waving Sudanese flags, hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire. A video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appears as live fire.

A Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.

Nile bridges that connect various parts of the Sudanese capital have also been blocked.

In Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, across the Nile, thousands of people took to the streets, blocking roads with stones and burning tyres, a Reuters witness said.

There were no signs of any security forces in the area.

Sudan, one of the largest countries in Africa, has long been on a US list of countries that support terrorism, which has hampered foreign investments.
Over 13 people have been killed when Sudanese forces use live ammunition to break up a protester camp in Khartoum.