Sudan President Accuses ‘Infiltrators’ of Killing Protesters

Sudanese protesters chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Khartoum on January 6, 2019. (AFP Photo)
Sudanese protesters chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Khartoum on January 6, 2019. (AFP Photo)
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Sudan President Accuses ‘Infiltrators’ of Killing Protesters

Sudanese protesters chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Khartoum on January 6, 2019. (AFP Photo)
Sudanese protesters chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration in Khartoum on January 6, 2019. (AFP Photo)

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir accused Sunday "infiltrators" of killing anti-government protesters in order to incite strife, denying that his forces were involved in any attacks.

During an annual gathering of Sufi sects at al-Kireida area, he vowed to respect the will of the people in the 2020 elections.

“We tell the youth that the country is your country and the future is your future. Next year’s elections are not far off and we will respect the people’s choice.”

“The youth went out to express themselves but sabotaging forces hid among them and created chaos,” Bashir added.

He said: “We have arrested rebels in Darfur who admitted to killing protesters. Investigations have proven that the death of protesters has been executed by infiltrators who want chaos.”

He admitted the country is going through an economic crisis, however, he blamed it on the “economic, media and diplomatic blockade, as well as war and rebellion.”

“The Sudanese people decide who rules them," he asserted, adding that this decision is made through the ballot boxes.

“We have a year until 2020. After a year, the Sudanese people will decide who will rule them.”

"We stand by the choice of the Sudanese people. We respect people's choice. We gave power to citizens to choose their...MPs and their government... through free elections,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, police used tear gas to prevent protesters from marching towards the parliament in Omdurman who were calling for the president and government’s resignation.

Shortly after the main demonstrations were dispersed, protesters staged smaller rallies in neighborhoods and alleys.

Before the protests began, police fired tear gas at people in the streets to prevent their gathering. Witnesses said the demonstrators ignored the police and organized a march chanting: "Freedom, Peace, Justice" and then dispersed to the demonstrations inside neighborhoods.

Police and security services heavily fired tear gas in Omdurman, detained dozens of demonstrators and took them to unknown destinations, while gunshots were heard in several areas, according to witnesses.

Near Bashir’s residence in the Kafouri district of Khartoum, demonstrators gathered outside the home of doctor Babeker Abdul Hamid, who was shot dead by police on Thursday. They have been blocking the road leading to his house for the past two days.

Students at the National Ribat University organized a protest, which the police dispersed amid unconfirmed reports about the suspension of the university's classes.

Doctors in several cities held protests, which began with a work strike, as teachers, lawyers and pharmacists continued their protests.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Doctors Committee, linked to anti-government protests, apologized for incorrectly reporting that a child had been killed in Thursday’s demonstrations.

Authorities said that two people were killed in last week’s protests, but the organizers put the figure at three.

Since December 10, 26 people have been killed by security forces, according to official numbers, but Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch cited reliable sources and announced that the number reached 40, including children and doctors.

Opposition parties accuse “unregulated” brigades, affiliated with First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, of carrying out widespread violations against demonstrators and using live ammunition. Taha had threatened the opposition with the brigades’ readiness to sacrifice lives to preserve the regime.

The Sudanese Professionals Association that is leading the protest movement called for new demonstrations throughout the week, and announced that the capital and Omdurman will witness night demonstrations on Tuesday, and that Thursday will witness marches across Sudan.

In addition, the Democratic Lawyers Alliance announced that all lawyers in Khartoum and the various states of Sudan will begin a two-day work strike on Monday in all of the country’s courts and government bodies.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.