A Calgary family found itself caught up in the deadly violence that’s marked the beginning of 2019 in Sudan.
Mazin Salih left the Alberta city to travel home to the east African country after the death of his 28-year-old brother Salih Salih on Wednesday, Jan. 9.
“He was just protesting with the rest of the people and they shot him,” Salih said. “They shot him with three bullets.
“They got the bullets out but he didn’t make it. Half-an-hour after, he died.”
Salih Salih had joined the protests that have been going on since Dec. 19, 2018.
WATCH (Jan. 9): Social media video showed Sudanese security forces firing tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Omdurman on Wednesday in what was one of the largest gathering of demonstrators the country has seen in recent weeks.
Demonstrators originally took to the streets in reaction to rises in the price of bread and fuel after the Sudanese government removed subsidies for those commodities.
As the protests gained momentum, the focus shifted to demands for an end of the 30-year dictatorship of President Omar al-Bashir.
His security agencies have responded with deadly force against the demonstrators.
“It’s very alarming,” Human Rights Watch’s Jehanne Henry said.
“The activists we’re in touch with, including doctors, have reported 40 dead so far, also accompanied by fairly large-scale arrests and detentions. We’re concerned that this is going to continue and become more violent.”
“We’re not going to let my brother die for no reason,” Salih said.
“We’re not going to stop. Still going to keep going until this government goes away and we get our justice.”
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