Authorities Cut Internet in Sudan's Capital Ahead of Pro-democracy Protests

Internet services were cut in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Thursday ahead of pro-democracy protests, a Reuters reporter said, the first time for months that web access had been blocked in the lead up to rallies.

The protests mark the third anniversary of huge demonstrations during the 2019 uprising that overthrew long-time autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir and led to a power-sharing arrangement between civilian groups and the military.

Last October, military leaders toppled the transitional government in a coup, triggering mass rallies that have called on the military to quit politics and continued for more than eight months.

In February, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Khartoum and advanced to the presidential palace in the capital. They were pushed back by military forces, who killed two protesters and wounded dozens more.

Sudan has plunged into turmoil since the military takeover upended its short-lived transition to democracy after three decades of repressive rule by al-Bashir.

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After the military takeover, there were extended internet blackouts in an apparent effort to hamper the protest movement.

Staff at Sudan's two private sector telecoms companies, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities had ordered them to shut down the internet once again on Thursday.

Security forces also closed bridges over the Nile between Khartoum and its twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri, another step taken on big protest days to limit the movement of marchers.