Sudanese protest findings of junta probe into deaths

Sudanese demonstrators have flocked to the streets in the capital Khartoum to protest the findings of an official investigation that put the death toll from a June raid on a sit-in protest at no more than 87.

According to Press TV, the demonstrators and opponents of Sudan's military rulers on Saturday dismissed the figure as far too low and demanded an independent investigation.

Witnesses said protesters chanted slogans against the investigative committee and burned tires as they vented their anger at the findings.

Ismail al-Taj, one of the protest leaders, said the findings of the probe into the deadly raid came out as a "shock to the Sudanese street and the regional and international community."

As part of a heavy-handed crackdown, gunmen in military fatigues raided the site of a weeks-long sit-in outside Sudan’s army headquarters in Khartoum on June 3, leaving hundreds dead or wounded.

The results of a joint probe by prosecutors and the ruling military council into the raid put the number of deaths at 87, a toll higher than the Sudanese Health Ministry's previous estimate of 61.

This is while opposition medics have said 127 people were killed and 400 people wounded as security forces fired live ammunition at protesters, who were demanding that the military cede power.

The military unseated the long-time President, Omar al-Bashir, in April after months of mass anti-government protests.

Following Bashir’s ouster, the coup leaders established the so-called Transitional Military Council (TMC), presumably to run state affairs in the post-Bashir era.

But the generals also moved to consolidate power and faced popular protests themselves, which have turned violent on many occasions in the face of a heavy-handed crackdown.

Currently, Sudan’s ruling military council and an alliance of opposition groups are working to finalize a power-sharing agreement for transition to a civilian rule, but the process has repeatedly stalled.

ME