عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Sudanese Security Forces Use Live Ammunition to Break Up Kassala Protests

Protesters surround security headquarters in Kassala, Sudan (Social Media)
Protesters surround security headquarters in Kassala, Sudan (Social Media)
TT
20
TT

Sudanese Security Forces Use Live Ammunition to Break Up Kassala Protests

Protesters surround security headquarters in Kassala, Sudan (Social Media)
Protesters surround security headquarters in Kassala, Sudan (Social Media)

Witnesses say Sudanese security forces fired live ammunition to break up a protest in Kassala, eastern Sudan, against the death of a young man who was reportedly tortured in detention.
On Sunday, protesters surrounded the security office, demanding that those responsible be brought to justice immediately.
The victim, Amin Mohamed Noor, came from a major ethnic group in eastern Sudan, a region long plagued by tribal conflicts.
Videos shared on social media show crowds of protesters running from the sound of gunfire.
Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that hundreds of protesters in Kassala blocked roads and entrances to the Public Prosecution and National Security offices early Sunday morning.
The protesters called for those responsible for the torture and death of Noor to be brought to justice and for the head of the National Security and Intelligence Service to be removed.
Sources reported that both plainclothes and uniformed security forces used live ammunition to break up the crowds around security sites.
It’s not yet clear if there were any casualties or injuries among the protesters. A local group confirmed that Noor was arrested by the National Security and Intelligence Service and died from torture. An autopsy report showed extensive bruising on his body.
The head of the National Security and Intelligence Service in Kassala Brig. Ridwan told the Bani Amer tribal leader that the detained young man had died from breathing problems.
Ridwan also claimed the victim had links to the “Rapid Support Forces.”
However, an autopsy report showed the death was caused by torture, contradicting Ridwan’s statement.
Protesters announced they would close the city’s main market and would not accept the victim’s body until the accused were arrested and brought to justice. They also demanded Ridwan’s removal and full accountability for the incident.
The Kassala Resistance Committees said the security service was fully responsible for the human rights violation leading to the detainee’s death.
Sudan’s Forces of Freedom and Change condemned the security forces’ actions, calling for an immediate and fair trial for those responsible, free from political interference.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Video Shows Last Moments for Slain Gaza Aid Workers, Red Crescent Says

This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP
This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP
TT
20
TT

Video Shows Last Moments for Slain Gaza Aid Workers, Red Crescent Says

This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP
This image grab from a handout video reportedly recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers - AFP

A video recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers shows their final moments, according to the Palestine Red Crescent, with clearly marked ambulances and emergency lights flashing as heavy gunfire erupts.

The aid worker was among 15 humanitarian personnel who were killed on March 23 in an attack by Israeli forces, according to the United Nations and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

The Israeli military has said its soldiers "did not randomly attack" any ambulances, insisting they fired on "terrorists" approaching them in "suspicious vehicles".

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said that troops opened fire on vehicles that had no prior clearance from Israeli authorities and had their lights off, AFP reported.

But the video released by PRCS on Saturday appears to contradict the Israeli military's claims, showing ambulances travelling with their headlights and emergency lights clearly flashing.

The six minute and 42 second video, apparently filmed from inside a moving vehicle, captures a red firetruck and ambulances driving through the night.

The vehicles stop beside another on the roadside, and two uniformed men exit. Moments later, intense gunfire erupts.

In the video, the voices of two medics are heard -- one saying, "the vehicle, the vehicle," and another responding: "It seems to be an accident."

Seconds later, a volley of gunfire breaks out, and the screen goes black.

PRCS said it had found the video on the phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the deceased aid workers.

"This video unequivocally refutes the occupation's claims that Israeli forces did not randomly target ambulances, and that some vehicles had approached suspiciously without lights or emergency markings," PRCS said in a statement.

"The footage exposes the truth and dismantles this false narrative."

Those killed included eight PRCS staff, six members of the Gaza civil defence agency and one employee of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, also known as UNRWA.

Their bodies were found buried near Rafah in what the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as a mass grave.

- Fear and prayers -

OCHA has said that the first team was targeted by Israeli forces at dawn on that day. In the hours that followed, additional rescue and aid teams searching for their colleagues were also struck in a series of successive attacks.

According to the PRCS, the convoy had been dispatched in response to emergency calls from civilians trapped under bombardment in Rafah.

In the video, a medic recording the scene can be heard reciting the Islamic declaration of faith, the shahada, which Muslims traditionally say in the face of death.

"There is no God but God, Mohammed is his messenger," he says repeatedly, his voice trembling with fear as intense gunfire continues in the background.

He is also heard saying: "Forgive me mother because I chose this way, the way of helping people."

He then says, "accept my martyrdom, God, and forgive me." Just before the footage ends, he is heard saying, "The Jews are coming, the Jews are coming," referring to Israeli soldiers.

The deaths of the aid workers has sparked international condemnation.

Jonathan Whittall, the head of OCHA in the Palestinian territories, said the bodies of the humanitarian workers were "in their uniforms, still wearing gloves" when they were found.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned the attack, raising concerns over possible "war crimes" by the Israeli military.

"I am appalled by the recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers, which raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military," Volker Turk told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

Turk called for an "independent, prompt and thorough investigation" into the attack.

An Israeli military official said the bodies had been covered "in sand and cloth" to avoid damage until coordination with international organizations could be arranged for their retrieval.

The military said it was investigating the attack.