Security forces opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Khartoum, Sudan. AFP

An investigation committee looking into the unrest in Sudan announced on Saturday that during the June 3 incident in Khartoum 87 people were killed and 168 others died.

Iran Press/Africa: Some security troops fired live rounds at the protesters holding sit-in protests who were calling for the military to hand over power, said the head of the investigative committee Fath al-Rahman Saeed.

Three officers, he added, had violated orders by moving forces into the sit-in area outside the Defense Ministry in Khartoum, a focal point for protests that had led to the ouster of longtime President Omar al-Bashir on April 11, Reuters reported.

Saeed said 17 of those killed were in the square occupied by protesters in the worst bout of violence since Bashir was toppled, adding that 48 of the wounded were hit by bullets.

An order was also issued to whip protesters, he added.

Monday’s operation, when security forces stormed a protest camp outside the Ministry of Defence, was a major setback in efforts to create a democracy and rebuild a country plagued by rebellions, economic crises and international isolation due to Omar al-Bashir’s policies.

Witnesses told media the forces attacked medical clinics and looted hospitals and committed multiple sexual assaults. 101/211/215

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