Hundreds protest in Khartoum as government deal delayed

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Sudan’s capital Thursday, as talks with the country’s military rulers to bring in a civilian government hit a roadblock.

Security forces met the demonstrations in Khartoum with tear gas and stun grenades, according to protester Waleed Adam.

No injuries were immediately reported.

Protesters have rejected any settlement involving Sudan’s military leaders following the 2021 coup.

The demonstrations were led by a pro-democracy network, the Resistance Committees, and set off from southern Khartoum toward its government district.

The renewal of street protests comes a day after the scheduled Thursday inking of a final settlement between the military and pro-democracy forces was postponed for the second time.

No new date for the signing was given.

The African country has been in turmoil since a coup led by the country’s top general, Abdel Fattah Burhan, overthrew a Western-backed government in 2021 following three decades of Islamist rule.

However, under immense international pressure, the military and a number of pro-democracy groups pledged last December to usher back in a transitional civilian government.

According to the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change – the largest civilian signatory to December’s pledge – the Sudanese Army and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Force are at odds over the issue of military reform and the incorporation of the RSF into the armed forces.