One Killed, Dozens Wounded in Sudan Protests

Sudanese demonstrators take to the streets of the capital Khartoum on May 19, 2022, calling for civilian rule and denouncing the military administration. (AFP)
Sudanese demonstrators take to the streets of the capital Khartoum on May 19, 2022, calling for civilian rule and denouncing the military administration. (AFP)
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One Killed, Dozens Wounded in Sudan Protests

Sudanese demonstrators take to the streets of the capital Khartoum on May 19, 2022, calling for civilian rule and denouncing the military administration. (AFP)
Sudanese demonstrators take to the streets of the capital Khartoum on May 19, 2022, calling for civilian rule and denouncing the military administration. (AFP)

Sudanese security forces killed one protester on Saturday during renewed demonstrations against a military takeover that derailed a transition to civilian rule last year, medics said.

The victim, who was not identified, died from "a bullet to the chest" in the capital's twin city of Omdurman, the pro-democracy Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said in a statement.

The CCSD said that the peaceful protesters faced excessive violence by security forces.

The latest death brings to 96 the toll from a crackdown on anti-coup protests which have taken place regularly since October, the committee said.

The doctors explained that the forces fired large quantities of tear gas canisters directly at the protesters.

The security forces also besieged the protesters to prevent them from reaching the hospital, the CCSD underscored.

In parallel, huge numbers of protesters poured onto the streets in Burri suburb, east of Khartoum and they were faced by tear gas, rubber bullets and attempts to run over them with armored vehicles.

Eyewitnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the security forces were firing tear gas directly at the protesters, leading to smoke inhalation cases.

On Oct. 25, Sudan's ruling council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced a state of emergency across the country and the dissolution of the transitional sovereign council and the government.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.