Sudan Protesters Mark Eid Al-Adha at Anti-army Sit-in

Sudanese protesters take part in an anti-military sit-in in the capital Khartoum on Saturday, the Eid al-Adha holiday ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP
Sudanese protesters take part in an anti-military sit-in in the capital Khartoum on Saturday, the Eid al-Adha holiday ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP
TT
20

Sudan Protesters Mark Eid Al-Adha at Anti-army Sit-in

Sudanese protesters take part in an anti-military sit-in in the capital Khartoum on Saturday, the Eid al-Adha holiday ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP
Sudanese protesters take part in an anti-military sit-in in the capital Khartoum on Saturday, the Eid al-Adha holiday ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP

Sudanese protesters celebrated Eid al-Adha among barricades on Saturday during a sit-in against military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his October coup.

Protesters have continued to press the army chief to resign, days after he vowed to make way for a civilian government -- an offer quickly rejected by the country's main civilian umbrella group as a "ruse".

Burhan's surprise move has been met with wide skepticism, and pro-democracy groups announced on Thursday the formation of a "revolutionary council" as protests held firm, AFP reported.

The sit-in continued in the capital's twin city of Omdurman Saturday, as an imam took over the microphone usually reserved for protest chants to deliver the Eid sermon.

Protester Ibrahim al-Haj told AFP after the prayer that demonstrators hope to show that "no matter what is happening in the country, our message is ongoing".

Burhan led a coup in October that derailed a transition to civilian rule, unleashing near-weekly protests and prompting key donors to freeze much-needed funding, sending Sudan deeper into economic crisis.

The protests against Burhan were reinvigorated on June 30, when tens of thousands gathered and nine people were killed by security forces, according to pro-democracy medics.

A total of 114 people have been killed in the crackdown by security forces against protesters since the October coup, the medics say.

Worshippers on Saturday held up flags showing the faces of protesters killed in the crackdown.

"We are committed to the martyrs' rights," Haj told AFP. "We are not going to forget our martyrs even for a day, no matter what."



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
TT
20

Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.