KHARTOUM: Sudanese anti-coup activists called for mass protests on Sunday, as hundreds held demonstrations denouncing the deadly crackdown which left 40 people killed since last month’s military takeover.
Both the United States and African Union have condemned the deadly crackdown on protesters and called on Sudan’s leaders to refrain from the “excessive use of force.”
Sudan’s top general Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on October 25 declared a state of emergency, ousted the government and detained the civilian leadership.
The military takeover upended a two-year transition to civilian rule, drew wide international condemnation and punitive measures, as well as provoking people to take to the streets.
Protests on Wednesday provoked the deadliest day so far, with the death toll standing at 16 after a teenager who had been shot died, medics said.
The independent Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said the 16-year-old had been shot “by live rounds to the head and the leg.”
Most of those killed on Wednesday were in North Khartoum, which lies across the Nile river from the capital, medics said.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters rallied against the military in North Khartoum, building street barricades and setting tires on fire, an AFP correspondent said.
They chanted “no, no to military rule” and called for “civilian rule.”
During the unrest, a police station was set on fire, the correspondent said, adding that there were no police agents in the vicinity. It was not immediately clear who torched it.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) have urged protesters to keep up their campaign.
On Saturday, pro-democracy activists made online calls for mass anti-coup protests with a “million-strong march on November 21.”
The SPA is an umbrella of unions which were instrumental in the months-long demonstrations that led to the ousting of president Omar Al-Bashir in April 2019.
Dozens of protesters also rallied Saturday to mourn the latest deaths in North Khartoum, demanding “retribution” and a transition to civilian rule.
Police officials deny using any live ammunition and insist they have used “minimum force” to disperse the protests. They have recorded only one death, among demonstrators in North Khartoum.
On Friday, small groups of protesters rallied in several neighborhoods after prayers against the military coup.
In North Khartoum, they built barricades across roads as police forces sporadically fired tear gas until late at night to disperse them, witnesses said.
An AFP correspondent said police forces also frisked passers-by and carried out identification checks.
The SPA said security forces had also “stormed homes and mosques” there on Friday.
The US and African Union denounced the deadly crackdown.
“We call for those responsible for human rights abuses and violations, including the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, to be held accountable,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“In advance of upcoming protests, we call on Sudanese authorities to use restraint and allow peaceful demonstrations,” he added.
The African Union, which suspended Sudan after the coup, also condemned “in the strongest terms” Wednesday’s violence.
AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat called on Sudan’s authorities “to restore constitutional order and the democratic transition” in line with a 2019 power-sharing deal between the military and the now-deposed civilian figures.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the release of reporters detained while covering anti-coup protests including Ali Farsab who it said was beaten, shot, and detained by security forces on Wednesday.
“Sudanese security forces’ shooting and beating of journalist Ali Farsab make a mockery of the coup government’s alleged commitment to a democratic transitional phase in the country,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s MENA program coordinator.
Sudan has a long history of military coups, enjoying only rare interludes of democratic rule since independence in 1956.
Burhan, the top general, insists the military’s move “was not a coup” but a step “to rectify the transition” as factional infighting and splits deepened between civilians and the military under the now-deposed government.
He has since announced a new ruling council in which he kept his position as head, along with a powerful paramilitary commander, three senior military figures, three ex-rebel leaders and one civilian.
But the other four civilian members were replaced with lesser known figures.
Sudanese call for anti-coup protests as death toll rises to 40
https://arab.news/vgfxn
Sudanese call for anti-coup protests as death toll rises to 40
- Both the United States and African Union have condemned the deadly crackdown on protesters
- On Saturday, hundreds of protesters rallied against the military in North Khartoum
Yemen’s Houthis say one killed in fresh strikes blamed on US
- In addition, US overnight air raids left four people dead in Hodeida
- Houthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks blamed on the United States
SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi rebels said fresh US air strikes on Wednesday killed one person in Hodeida province, after overnight air raids left four people dead in the same area.
Anees Alasbahi, spokesman for the Houthis’ health ministry, reported “one civilian martyr and one wounded” in the Red Sea port of Ras Issa, saying they were “victims of the US enemy’s air force.”
Houthi-controlled media said strikes hit Ras Issa as well as the Iran-backed group’s northern stronghold of Saada.
Earlier on Wednesday the Houthis said overnight air strikes on Hodeida province killed four, in an attack also blamed on the United States.
The United States, which has carried out major raids in Yemen in recent weeks, has not confirmed it was behind the latest strikes.
Houthi media said the targets of the overnight strikes included water infrastructure in Hodeida and areas of the northwestern region of Hajjah.
US President Donald Trump has vowed that attacks on Yemen’s Houthis would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
Early Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group targeted US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman for “the third time in 24 hours.”
His statement came just as Washington said it was increasing the number of aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping the Truman and sending another from the Indo-Pacific.
The Carl Vinson would join the Truman “to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Houthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks blamed on the United States since Washington launched a campaign against the rebels on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.
Since then, the Houthis have also claimed attacks targeting US military ships and Israel.
On Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the campaign of “over 200 successful strikes against the Houthis” had been effective.
The rebels had targeted passing ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, from shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 until a January ceasefire, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians.
Renewed US strikes followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza and attacks on the Palestinian territory after truce talks stalled.
The Houthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a detour around the tip of southern Africa.
Lebanese army expands presence in areas along Litani River
- It follows the launch last week of rockets toward Israel, and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut
BEIRUT: A large contingent of the Lebanese army entered Yohmor Chkeif, north of the Litani River in Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday. Rockets were launched from the area toward Israel last week.
A security source said forces patrolled the village, which is surrounded on three sides by the river. A video shared on social media appeared to show the troops entering the village.
The residents of another village north of the Litani River reported seeing Lebanese army Cessna drones in the skies over Nabatieh on Wednesday. An army unit, in cooperation with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, recently entered Zawtar Al-Charqiyeh, which is located in the same governorate.
Ali Al-Amin, the editor-in-chief of the Janoubia news website, told Arab News the region is characterized by its valleys, mountains and rugged terrain. Under Hezbollah directives, only civilians are allowed in the area. But a Lebanese army unit entered Hezbollah military sites in Wadi Zawtar Al-Charqiyeh, close to the river, he added.
The valley was targeted by at least 200 raids during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah. It reportedly contains large Hezbollah camps, training centers and weapon storage facilities.
The arrival of the Lebanese army in the area effectively marks the end of Hezbollah’s military presence there, Al-Amin said, though the group has not officially stated this. He suggested that Hezbollah might have reached an understanding with the army behind closed doors.
Last week, the army seized empty rocket launchers that had targeted Israel twice in the space of a week. An investigation has been launched in an attempt to identify those who fired the missiles. They remain unknown, although the Lebanese army said it arrested suspects from Syria and Palestine.
The launch of the rockets resulted in a significant deterioration in the security situation in Lebanon, jeopardizing the ceasefire agreement as retaliatory Israeli airstrikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut for the first time since the peace deal came into effect four months ago. Dozens of people were killed or injured by the Israeli strikes.
Army commander Gen. Rodolphe Haikal inspected the South Litani Sector Command two days ago and reinforced the Lebanese military’s commitment to the implementation of UN resolutions and the ceasefire agreement.
Army command said the general had highlighted the continued presence of Israeli forces in occupied Lebanese territory as the main obstacle to deployment of the army south of the Litani, and reinforcement of the ceasefire.
Further Israeli violations of the peace agreement were reported on Wednesday. According to media reports from southern Lebanon, the Israeli army “opened fire on a citizen from the border town of Odaisseh, injuring him slightly while he was driving his car on the Kfarkela-Odaisseh road.” The Ministry of Health also said a citizen was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Odaisseh area.
The Israeli army also continued to target shelters being built by residents in border areas near homes destroyed during the conflict. A combat drone destroyed one such shelter in the center of the town of Yaroun but no casualties were reported.
At dawn, Israeli vehicles and demolition equipment based in the Labouneh area east of Naqoura, inside Lebanese territory, advanced toward Ras Naqoura. According to the National News Agency, they raised a dirt barrier that blocked the road on both directions opposite the Israeli Jal Al-Alam site, which overlooks the towns of Naqoura and Alma Al-Shaab.
The latest developments come as Russia Today reported that Lebanese security officials had received “concerning signals” suggesting that Israeli authorities intend to resume their campaign of targeted assassinations. A security source said Tel Aviv is committed to dismantling Hezbollah’s military arsenal and considers the Lebanese government’s efforts so far to achieve this to be inadequate.
The rising tensions followed a pre-dawn Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday that killed Hezbollah member Hassan Badir and his son. Civilians in a neighboring apartment were also reportedly killed.
In a separate security operation, the Lebanese army said on Wednesday it had shut down two illegal border crossings in the Hermel and Mashari Al-Qaa regions as part of its ongoing efforts to combat smuggling and unauthorized movements across the country’s northern and eastern border with Syria.
Gaza mass grave underscores ‘war without limits’, UN official says
- “It was shocking” to see medical workers “still in their uniforms, still wearing gloves, killed while trying to save lives,” said Jonathan Whittall, OCHA’S head
- “The ambulances were hit one by one“
UNITED NATIONS: The mass grave in Rafah where the bodies of 15 medics were found after the Israeli army fired on ambulances illustrates the “war without limits” that Israel is leading in Gaza, a UN aid official said Wednesday.
“It was shocking” to see medical workers “still in their uniforms, still wearing gloves, killed while trying to save lives,” said Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Palestinian territories.
“The ambulances were hit one by one,” he said in a video conference after a mission to Gaza uncovered the mass grave. Of the 15 bodies, eight were members of the Palestinian Red Crescent and one was from the United Nations.
UN chief Antonio Guterres also expressed revulsion Wednesday at the killings.
“The secretary-general is shocked by the attacks of the Israeli army on a medical and emergency convoy on March 23 resulting in the killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a briefing.
OCHA said Tuesday that the first team of first aid workers was killed by Israeli forces on March 23, and that other emergency and aid teams were hit one after another over several hours while searching for their missing colleagues.
After several weeks of ceasefire in Gaza, Israel resumed its bombardments on March 18 and announced Wednesday the extension of its military operations to seize “large areas” of the territory.
Whittall said 64 percent of Gaza is under displacement orders, and that 200,000 people have been uprooted since the end of the ceasefire.
He said the 25 bakeries run by the UN’s World Food Programme have been closed since Tuesday.
“It’s an endless loop of blood, pain, death and Gaza has become a death trap,” he said. “What is happening here defies decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law.”
Libya suspends work of ‘hostile’ international NGOs: security agency
- “The plan to settle migrants of African origin in Libya is seen as a hostile act” said Gheith
TRIPOLI: Libyan authorities announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the work of 10 international humanitarian groups, accusing the NGOs of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the country.
“The plan to settle migrants of African origin in Libya is seen as a hostile act, which is aimed at altering the demographic composition of the country and threatens Libyan society,” said Salem Gheith, spokesman for the North African country’s Internal Security Agency.
Israeli airstrike targets Barzeh neighborhood in Syria’s Damascus
- Israel spent years carrying out airstrikes on Syria during former President Bashar Assad’s rule
DAMASCUS: An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday targeted the vicinity of the scientific research building in the Syrian neighborhood Barzeh in the capital Damascus, Syrian state news agency (SANA) said.
In addition, Israeli airstrikes targeted Hama airport, in west-central Syria, according to local officials.
Israel spent years carrying out airstrikes on Syria during former President Bashar Assad’s rule, targeting what they said were Iran-linked military installations and weapons transfers from Tehran intended for the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
