CROWDS thousands-strong rallied outside Sudan’s army headquarters for a second day running today, calling for an end to the tyranny of President Omar al-Bashir.

Powerful footage from yesterday’s protests in Khartoum, #Sudan #SudanProtests #SudanUprising #Sudan_Revolts #مدن_السودان_تنتفض #تسقط_بس #موكب6ابريل pic.twitter.com/U9YlELdPMm

— Israa Nour (@HeartofAfrikaa) April 7, 2019

Protesters chanted “freedom and justice” and “one people, one army,” calling on the military to side with the democracy movement that has staged regular mass demonstrations since December.

This was despite meeting savage reprisals including the killing of scores of marchers and sweeping arrests of communists and other democratic activists.

The army did not respond to the demo but security forces attacked protesters from yesterday with tear gas.

Sudanese Professionals Association spokeswoman Sarah Abdel-Jaleel said that four people were killed by police yesterday’s march, a claim denied by authorities.

But a fifth death of a protester in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman was reported by police themselves.

This victim was not identified officially but a doctors’ association confirmed that he was a doctor.

The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate has previously reported medical professionals being targeted when they seek to provide emergency assistance to injured protesters.

Security forces ordered shops and markets in the twin cities, which face each other across the Nile, to shut before the march and many civilians were denied access to central areas.

The demonstrators staged a night-long sit-in and continued their protests today, some saying they would not budge until Mr Bashir steps down.

The weekend protests marked the 34th anniversary of the overthrow of military dictator Jaafar Nimeiry on April 6 1985.

Mr Bashir, also a military officer, overthrew the government elected to replace Mr Nimeiry in 1989 and has ruled since then.

Despite the repressive measures imposed in response to the mass protests – which include a state of emergency that has quelled most public demonstrations outside the capital – the Sudanese Communist Party, which has played a leading role in the movement, said the “victorious march of the popular masses is progressing steadily towards its ultimate goal of overthrowing the regime and dismantling it.”

It called for international solidarity to force the Bashir government to release all political prisoners.