In Khartoum, Sudanese anti-coup protesters are met with tear gas

Sudanese security forces in the capital Khartoum have fired tear gas at a huge crowd of anti-coup protesters demanding government transition to civilian rule.

Thousands of protesters marched on the presidential palace on Sunday, as they waved flags and chanted slogans against the junta Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and military-dominated administration despite a heavy deployment of security forces.

According to Press TV, the protesters are against the October military coup and want soldiers to "go back to the barracks."

Earlier, security forces blocked bridges connecting the capital to suburbs, cut phone lines and restricted internet ahead of the planned protests.

According to witnesses, there were also protest rallies in Madani, a town nearly 85 miles southeast of Khartoum.

Khartoum's state governor warned that security forces "will deal with those who break the law and create chaos." He said "approaching or attacking buildings of strategic sovereignty is punishable by law."

Meanwhile, Volker Perthes, the UN Special Envoy to Sudan, urged the authorities to "protect" the protests and not stop them. "Freedom of expression is a human right" Perthes said. "No one should be arrested for his or her intention to protest peacefully."

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors called on the international community to “monitor what happens in Sudan on the issue of the revolutionary movement for freedom and democracy.”

More than two years ago, massive anti-government demonstrations hit Sudan, mostly over economy. The protesters, youths for a large part, demanded the resignation of then President Omar al-Bashir.

ME