NAIROBI, Kenya _ The death toll from a security crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Sudan's capital rose to more than 108, a doctors group said Wednesday, amid mounting international criticism of the ruling military that ousted veteran President Omar al-Bashir.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a group affiliated with the protests, said in a statement that some of the dead had been thrown into the Nile River and it expects the toll to rise further.
The assault on the Khartoum sit-in on June 3 was the most serious violence in Khartoum since al-Bashir was forced out in April. The day after the long-running protest was crushed, the ruling transitional military council announced plans for elections within nine months after negotiations to hand power to a civilian government broke down.
David Hale, the U.S. undersecretary of State for political affairs, condemned the "brutal crackdown" in a phone call with Khalid bin Salman, the deputy defense minister of Saudi Arabia, a key supporter of the military council. State-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the kingdom had stressed the importance of Sudanese factions resuming dialogue.
The U.S, U.K. and Norway issued a joint statement demanding a transition to a civilian government, saying the crackdown endangered the process.
While Sudan's military pledged a transition to democratic rule, talks with the opposition stalled over representation in a power-sharing government. Authorities had recently described the Khartoum sit-in, marked by a carnival atmosphere, as a threat to public order.
Mohamed Hamdan, deputy leader of the military council and head of the Rapid Support Forces, denied his troops' involvement in Monday's assault, claiming it had been carried out by "forces" wearing RSF uniforms.
At a United Nations Security Council meeting Tuesday, members received a briefing from the secretary-general's special adviser on Sudan, Nicholas Haysom. China, with Russian backing, blocked a statement circulated by Germany and the U.K. condemning the killing of civilians and urging a rapid solution to the crisis, diplomats said.
On Wednesday, a rebel group from the country's south said one of its leaders had been arrested after recently returning to Sudan to take part in talks with its new rulers. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North said it held the military council responsible for the fate of its deputy chairman, Yassir Arman.
The SPLM-N has fought government forces in the border states of oil-rich Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011, demanding greater autonomy in the wake of South Sudan's secession.
The U.N. also decided to temporarily relocate its nonessential personnel from Sudan, according to Stephane Dujarric, the secretary-general's spokesman.
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