Sudan security forces fire tear gas on protesters

Sudanese security forces fired teargas at protesters as they attempted to march towards the presidential palace on Monday during the latest in a series of demonstrations against military rule.

Such protests, along with barricades throughout the capital and a general strike last week, have continued since the military took power on Oct. 25, ending a partnership with civilian political parties since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Some 73 protesters have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in crackdowns on the protests, according to medics aligned with the protest movement, mainly by gunshots and tear gas canisters.

Monday's protests were met with teargas, stun grenades and water cannon spraying red water as protesters stood 1.2 kilometres (0.75 miles) away from the presidential palace, a Reuters witness said.

In the city of Omdurman, a Reuters witness saw a heavy security presence and tear gas fired on a main road.

The protests were called by neighbourhood resistance committees, which advocate a stance of "no legitimacy, no negotiation, no partnership" towards the military.

One committee reported the arrest of at least four members, while another said its headquarters were raided.

There were also large protests in the city of Madani, where witnesses said protesters marched towards the house of a protester killed on Friday before heading to the state government building.

Social media users shared images of other protests in the cities of El Fasher, Shendi, and Elobeid.

Last week, the United States condemned the use of force against protesters, saying it would consider additional measures to hold perpetrators of violence accountable.

Military leaders have said that the right to peaceful protest is protected and have commissioned investigations into the bloodshed. The violence has deepened the deadlock between pro-democracy groups and the military leadership.

As protests rage, military leader Abdelfattah al-Burhan appointed deputy ministers to a caretaker government which passed this year's budget.

On Monday, Abdelghani Alnaeem, former deputy foreign minister under Bashir, confirmed that he and more than 100 other diplomats and administrators who had been fired as part of an anti-corruption taskforce were re-instated by a judge. "This is a positive step," he said.