Sudan: increased death toll in protests – medics

The death toll from the latest nationwide protests against military rule in Sudan rose to five on Friday, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said.

The group of medics, which is aligned with the protest movement, said the fifth person who had been killed was hit in the chest by a tear gas canister fired by security forces during the protests on Thursday.

The overall death toll since the security forces’ crackdown began in October has now risen to 53, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said.

The demonstrators have demanded that the military play no role in government during a transition to free elections.

Al Hadath TV quoted an adviser to military leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan as saying the military would not allow anyone to pull the country into chaos and that continued protests were a “physical, psychological, and mental drain on the country” and “would not achieve a political solution”.