Protests push forward, close to the palace

25 February 2022

Thousands of protesters managed to break a security cordon in the centre of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, last Sunday and demonstrated close to the presidential palace. Security forces responded with a flurry of tear gas and sound grenades, eyewitnesses said.

Since a military coup on 25 October took place, Sudanese have held multiple protests against the coup led by the commander of the Sudanese army, Lt.-Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. 

For the first time in a month, demonstrators managed to reach Al-Qasr Street, a road near the presidential palace –and an area security forces had blocked protestors from reaching since 25 December last year. Demonstrators forced the security forces to evacuate their positions near the Faculty of Medicine and Stack Factory on Al-Qasr Street, eyewitnesses told Ayin.

Abla Abdullah, 40, who regularly participates in protests, said she came with her son, who insists on joining the protests on the front lines despite his mother’s concerns.  “I’m here waiting for him to come back so that we can go home together at the end of this eventful day,” she said. Abla told Ayin she participates in the protests since she is concerned for the future if the military remains in power.

When the convoy rushed to Al-Qasr Street and penetrated to the vicinity of the Republican Palace, the security forces targeted the protestors with tear gas canisters and water canons. 

Ibrahim Hassan, 30, told Ayin that he expects larger protests in the days ahead, as a frustrated public struggle with spikes in fuel, cooking gas and medicine prices.