The Sudanese government announced Thursday that eight people were killed during violent protests in eastern Sudan's Kassala State on Thursday.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, medical sources in the city confirmed the number of causalities and said that seven out of those wounded are in a critical condition.
Protests broke out in Kassala against the recent decision by Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to sack the state's civilian governor Saleh Ammar.
However, Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said that governors of all states will be sacked to form a new government as agreed in the deal signed between the transitional government and the armed forces.
For his part, Ammar held the police and the transitional authority responsible for the violence, accusing them of suppressing the right to freedom of expression.
"The government remained silent despite the chaos and racist attacks that happened throughout the past months – the government stood idle," he noted.
In this context, local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the authorities permitted the protest in the Freedom Square but the protesters headed towards the government’s headquarters.
Eyewitnesses said that the police shot live bullets at protesters.
Also, State news agency (SUNA) said security forces had used tear gas then bullets against a breakaway group of protesters, some of them armed, who had ignored warnings not to approach a government building.
