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| Africa: Horn |
| Beja Congress leader jugged after bragging about killing protesters |
| 2005-02-02 |
| Sudanese security forces arrested a leader of the eastern-based Beja Congress party after he spoke to journalists about the shooting of demonstrators by police, another politician from the party said on Tuesday. Government forces in Port Sudan fired on a crowd of demonstrators, mostly from the Beja tribe, on Saturday. The death toll from the shootings now stands at 20, after two people died from their injuries overnight, hospital sources said on Tuesday. More than 40 people were injured. Ahmed Mohamed Mokhtar, the president of the Beja Congress in Port Sudan, told Reuters by telephone that security forces had arrested the secretary-general of the party, Abdullah Moussa Abdullah, on Monday night. Abdullah had spoken to the media extensively about the killings. State security in Port Sudan declined to comment on the arrest. Government officials said the demonstrators were rioting and attacked police and armed forces, forcing them to retaliate by opening fire. But the chief of police said the protesters were not carrying guns. Witnesses said the armed police burst into people's houses near the demonstration, attacking those inside. The police chief denied government forces had entered people's homes, but a Reuters witness saw dozens of bullet holes, empty bullet canisters and bloodstained beds in many houses in the Beja area of Port Sudan. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |