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More Deaths Reported in Sudan Protests

Nike Ching

   (Leslie Bonilla contributed to this article.)

   WASHINGTON -- Reports from Sudan say at least 11 people were killed in
   the latest mass protests demanding a transition to civilian rule in the
   country.

   Police fired tear gas as tens of thousands of people took to the
   streets on Sunday in the capital Khartoum and other areas in the first
   such demonstration since a June deadly crackdown on protesters. More
   demonstrations were reported Monday.

   In Washington, the United States condemns the violence used against
   civilians.

   "Sudanese security forces' use of live ammunition against peaceful
   protesters was reprehensible, and military authorities should be held
   accountable for the resulting deaths," a State Department official told
   VOA on Monday.
   "The peaceful demonstrations in Khartoum and many other cities
   throughout Sudan on June 30 underscore the demand of the people of
   Sudan for a civilian-led transitional government," added the official.

   Protest organizers took to Facebook to decry the actions by the
   military on Sunday.

   "The military council is completely responsible for these lives lost,"
   Mohamed Naji al-Assam, a prominent protest leader, said in a video on
   his Facebook page.

   The generals also took to Facebook to lay blame on the protest
   movement, Alliance for Freedom and Change.

   "Freedom and Change bears the entire responsibility for these
   violations and the casualties among regular forces and citizens," said
   General Jamal Omer in a video posted on the ruling military
   government's Facebook page.

   Tensions between protesters demanding civilian rule and military
   leaders have been rising since the coup that forced out the long-ruling
   autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Talks between the two sides collapsed on June
   3, when the military lethally dispersed a protest sit-in outside
   military headquarters in Khartoum. Protest organizers said the death
   toll from the crackdown was at least 128, while authorities claim it
   was 61, including three security personnel.

   The European Union and several Western countries have called on the
   generals to avoid bloodshed.

   Ethiopia and the African Union have offered a plan for a
   civilian-majority body, which the generals say could be the basis for
   new negotiations.

   Sudan has been run by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) after its
   longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir was ousted on April 11.
   U.S. officials have urged all sides to work toward "creating an
   enabling environment" between the TMC and an opposition coalition, the
   Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), for talks to resume.
   The African Union and several Western countries also urged the military
   to transfer authority to civilian rule.
   Senior State Department officials have suggested Washington would
   consider all options, including possible sanctions if there was more
   violence used by Sudanese security forces against peaceful
   demonstrators.
   The United States sanctioned Sudan under Bashir over its alleged
   support for militant groups. Trade sanctions against Sudan were lifted
   in 2017 by the U.S., citing Sudan's progress in human rights and
   counterterrorism.