Four killed as eastern Sudan protest turns deadly

Four protesters were reportedly shot dead and six others wounded by supporters of the new Kassala state governor Saleh Ammar on Thursday in the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala, according to an eyewitness.

One of the six injured people succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital, a witness said.

The protesters called on Sudan’s leaders to replace Ammar, saying he was unqualified for the job.

According to Ibrahim Hassan, an assistant professor at Kassala University, Ammar’s supporters took advantage of the chaos by looting shops after attacking their opponents.

“They broke into shops, set fire to the market and also looted property. They moved to a Republic Square in the city and left for their homes. At night, a group from Beni Amir retaliated, randomly storming stores in the market and neighborhoods and looting many properties, “Hassan told VOA.

According to Abdallah Obshar, one of the organizers of the opposition protest in the city of Kassala, a group of armed supporters of Governor Ammar attacked peaceful protesters. They believed that Ammar should be replaced because he is not qualified to lead the state. “

“If we look at the qualification criteria in their appointment process, there were more than 10 candidates, some of them are Ph.D. university holders and professors. We wonder how Ammar got to this level, ”Obshar told South Sudan in Focus.

Sudan’s transitional government has called for calm in Kassala and ordered security organizations to restore peace to the area.