Sudanese forces kill 4 anti-coup protesters

Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Sudanese security forces shot and killed four people protesting military rule Thursday, a doctors' rights group said.

The Sudanese Central Doctors Committee said troops fired live bullets and tear gas into the crowd of demonstrators in Omdurman. The city is located about 16 miles northwest of the capital of Khartoum. In addition to the deaths, multiple people were hospitalized with injuries.

CNN reported that videos by activists in the city showed crowds of people running through tear gas smoke as purported gunshots could be heard. Some people can be heard in the videos calling for the return to "a civilian state."

The anti-coup demonstrations began peacefully and was smaller than previous such protests, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said that as the day went on, security forces stopped demonstrators from crossing bridges in an effort to reach Khartoum.

The SCDC said "militias" prevented emergency services and ambulances from reaching and treating the injured.

Anti-coup demonstrators have protested for several days against military rule in Sudan.

The Sudanese military seized control of the country Oct. 25, detaining Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other government leaders. The military also dissolved the governing Transitional Sovereignty Council.

The coup was conducted as the country teetered toward founding a democracy following decades under the dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed in an April 2019 coup.