UN censures excessive force against Sudan protesters
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the use of excessive force by Sudan's security forces against protesters and urged an independent investigation into killings resulting from the violence.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Monday that Guterres was "alarmed" by reports that security forces had opened fire inside a hospital in Khartoum.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the violence and reports of the excessive use of force by security personnel on civilians, that have resulted in the deaths and injury of many," the spokesman said, adding, "He condemns the use of force to disperse the protesters at the sit-in site and he is alarmed by reports that security forces have opened fire inside medical facilities."
According to Sudan's Doctors' Association, at least 30 people were killed when Sudanese forces launched a fresh raid on the site of a sit-in protest outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum and used force to break up the gathering there.
The protesters have been calling on the country’s military rulers running the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to a civilian government. The TMC assumed power in April after the military toppled President Omar al-Bashir in the wake of angry protests against his 30-year rule.
Elsewhere in the statement, the UN chief urged all parties "to act with utmost restraint," called for unimpeded access to deliver care at the sit-in site as well as hospitals where the wounded are treated, and for the Sudanese authorities to facilitate "an independent investigation into the deaths and to hold those responsible accountable."
"The Secretary-General urges the parties to pursue peaceful dialogue and to stay the course in the negotiations over the transfer of power to a civilian-led transitional authority, as required by the African Union," the spokesman noted.
Tensions have been on the rise between the TMC and an alliance of protest and opposition groups, who want a quick handover of power to civilians.
The TMC has offered to let protesters form a government to run the country, but insists on maintaining overall authority during an interim period.
Several rounds of negotiations between the protest leaders and the junta have broken down amid differences.
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