Sudanese police clash with protesters

CAIRO (AP):

Sudanese police on Monday used tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters shortly after they began to march towards the presidential palace in Khartoum to demand that President Omar al-Bashir step down, according to activists and video postings.

Some activists said police used live ammunition. Video clips posted online showed pools of blood outside a small eatery in the city centre. Another showed protesters carrying a man whose head and shirt were bloodied. Scores of demonstrators run away amid the sounds of gunfire and screaming.

A female protester's voice is heard urging others, "Don't run," as those around her violently cough from the tear gas. "I am going to die," says another woman, apparently overwhelmed by the gas.

Four shot, scores detained

Activists said scores of protesters have been detained and at least four suffered gunshot wounds. They spoke of at least three fatalities and scores of protesters wounded, but that could not be independently confirmed. Sudanese authorities heavily restrict media coverage of demonstrations.

Thousands have taken to the streets in Khartoum and other cities in protests over the past two weeks. An umbrella of independent professional unions called for the march to the palace after a similar march last Tuesday was broken up by police.

Protesters gathered in several locations in Khartoum and its suburbs, scattering when police fired tear gas and then regrouping again. The protests lasted for at least four hours.

Hundreds of security forces were deployed in Khartoum ahead of the protests, with some of them forming a security ring around the presidential palace. Snipers in civilian clothes could be seen on rooftops in central Khartoum.

In one video clip, scores of protesters in a Khartoum neighbourhood pointed to a sniper on the roof of a six-storey building and shouted, "Sniper, we can see you!"

Before clashes erupted, the demonstrators in central Khartoum sang the national anthem. They chanted "Peaceful!" and "Oh, Sudan, we sacrifice our lives and blood for you."

They also chanted, "The people want to bring down the regime," which was the main slogan of the Arab Spring revolts of 2011.

Earlier Monday, Human Rights Watch urged al-Bashir's government to instruct security forces not to use lethal force against protesters, citing independent groups as saying 40 people have been killed since the protests erupted nearly two weeks ago.

The New York-based group said Sudanese forces have been using tear gas and live ammunition against protesters, as well as beating and arresting many. Scores have been injured and hundreds arrested, it said. Last week, the United States, Britain, Norway and Canada said in a joint statement that they have "reliable reports" that Sudan's security forces were using live fire.

Al-Bashir, an autocratic leader who came to power in a 1989 military coup, vowed in a meeting with police commanders Sunday that he would not tolerate any attempt to undermine stability and security, according to the state news agency. An Islamist, he also sought to justify the killing of protesters by quoting from the Koran, according to a video clip of his comments.