2 Sudanese troops killed in attack on Khartoum sit-in

KHARTOUM (AA): Two army soldiers were killed by gunmen in Sudanese capital Khartoum early Tuesday amid ongoing protests against the regime of President Omar al-Bashir, according to an opposition union of doctors. In a statement, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) said clashes erupted between Sudanese soldiers and a pro-government militia in front of the main headquarters of the Sudanese army in Khartoum.

Two soldiers were killed in the violence, CCSD said. Eyewitnesses said government forces had attempted to break a sit-in staged by anti-regime protesters outside the army HQ. “At around 02:00 AM, militias riding vehicles of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began attacking protesters,” Ramy Osman, a protester, told Anadolu Agency. He said attacks escalated two hours later, prompting army forces to intervene, triggering fire with the attackers.

Another protester who preferred to remain unnamed said the army has allowed hundreds of protesters to enter the headquarters for protection. There was no comment from either the Sudanese government or the military on the attack. On Sunday, a Sudanese soldier had been killed in similar clashes near the army HQ. Sudanese demonstrators have staged a sit-in outside the army HQ since Sunday to pile pressure on the military to intervene to force al-Bashir to step down. Sudan has been shaken by protests since last December, with demonstrators demanding the departure of al-Bashir, who has ruled Sudan since 1989.