- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
- De Bruyne out of Belgium Nations League squad
- Japanese trainer Yahagi hopes Shin Emperor achieves 50-year-old Arc dream
- UK's Starmer hails 'landmark' carbon capture funding
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Bosnia floods kill 14 people
- Tennis world number one Swiatek splits with coach Wiktorowski
Sudanese plan mass anti-coup rallies on anniversary of sit-in
Sudanese protesters are gearing up for mass anti-coup rallies Wednesday to mark the anniversaries of historic events that toppled Sudanese autocrats, most recently president Omar al-Bashir three years ago.
The planned demonstrations will come as political and economic turmoil have deepened in Sudan following an October 25 military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The protests have been planned for April 6, which coincides with the anniversary of a 1985 popular uprising that toppled president Jaafar Nimeiri after years of harsh rule.
It also marks the third anniversary of the beginning of a mass encampment outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, the culmination of months of protests demanding an end to Bashir's three decades in power.
Bashir was ousted on April 11, 2019 by senior military officials.
Protesters then kept up the sit-in to demand civilian rule, but in June that year it was violently dispersed by men in military fatigues.
At least 128 people were killed in a crackdown that lasted for days, according to medics.
Civilian and military leaders later agreed on a transition toward civilian rule, but Sudan's latest coup in October upended those plans.
- 'Defeat the coup' -
Sudanese protesters have since been taking to the streets seeking to bring down the coup. In recent weeks, activists have ramped up online calls for Wednesday's protests, using hashtags such as "the storm of April 6" and "the earthquake of April 6".
"It is an important day... so we expect many to take to the streets despite the heat and Ramadan," said Badwi Bashir, a protester from Khartoum. "We just want to bring down the coup and end the prospect of any future coups."
Jaafar Hassan, a spokesman for the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) -- an umbrella civilian alliance whose representatives were ousted from positions of power in the October coup -- said April is "the month of victories for the Sudanese".
"We have to defeat the coup... We have to get out of this crisis," Hassan told a press conference last week.
Since the takeover, military leaders have been moving to tighten their grip on power, rounding up prominent civilian leaders and reversing appointments made during the transition.
"We want a unified front," said Hassan. "We have tried a partnership with the military and it failed, ending in this coup, and we shouldn't do this again."
On Saturday, Burhan said he will only "hand over power to an honest, elected authority, accepted by the all the Sudanese people".
At least 93 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the crackdown on the anti-coup protests, according to medics.
- Economy in nosedive -
Since the coup, Sudan's already ailing economy has suffered severe blows, as Western donors cut crucial aid pending the restoration of a transition to civilian rule.
Prices of food, fuel and basic commodities have soared, in large part due to the deepening economic crisis since the military takeover.
Crime and lawlessness have increased as violence in remote areas of Sudan has intensified, particularly the restive Darfur region, according to the United Nations.
On Thursday, clashes between Arab and non-Arab tribes left at least 45 people killed in South Darfur state.
Darfur was the scene of a bitter conflict in 2003 under Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over accusations of atrocities in the region.
On Tuesday, the ICC began the trial of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, an ally of Bashir, over his role in the conflict.
The UN has warned of growing humanitarian needs and food insecurity in Sudan.
Last month, the World Food Programme said that the number of Sudanese facing acute hunger would double to more than 18 million by September 2022.
On Friday, Burhan threatened to expel UN special representative Volker Perthes, accusing him of "interference" in the country's affairs after Perthes warned of the deepening crisis in Sudan during a UN Security Council briefing.
Perthes' mission, UNITAMS, along with the African Union and the regional bloc IGAD, have agreed on joint efforts to facilitate Sudanese-led talks in a bid to resolve the crisis.
E.Paulino--PC