Sudanese forces kill seven protesters

Monday marked one of the deadliest days in Sudan since October, when the military overthrew a transitional government that was supposed to be working toward democratic rule. The protesters gathered on the streets of the capital city of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman to denounce the coup. The Sudan Doctors Committee said security forces used gunfire to break up the protests, killing seven and injuring about 100 people. The pro-democracy movement launched a civil disobedience campaign to protest the Monday killings.

How have other nations responded? The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday said the violence has put Sudan on “a dangerous path away from peace and stability,” and urged the military to de-escalate tensions. The United Nations human rights chief Ravina Shamdasani condemned the use of live ammunition and called for a prompt independent investigation. The U.S. State Department said David Satterfield, the newly appointed special envoy for the Horn of Africa, will meet with pro-democracy activists and military leaders in Khartoum during a multicountry trip ending Thursday. More than 71 people have died in the near-daily protests across the country.

Dig deeper: Listen to my report on The World and Everything in It podcast on the October coup.