Security forces restored a tense calm to the Sudanese capital on Tuesday, a day after 36 people were killed in bloody riots sparked by the death of Sudanese vice-president and former southern rebel leader John Garang.
But the situation remained more fragile in areas on Khartoum’s outskirts, where hundreds of soldiers patrolled streets and frightened residents carried large club-like sticks to protect themselves.
Grief-stricken supporters of Garang, who died on Saturday along with 13 other people in a helicopter crash near the Sudanese-Ugandan border, rampaged in Khartoum on Monday, with many blaming the government for their hero’s death.
But the government and Garang’s own rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, ruled out foul play in a bid to curb the violence and keep alive the fragile north-south peace deal that the late rebel leader had championed.
Garang, from southern Sudan, became Sudan’s first vice-president last month as part of the United States-backed peace deal that ended a two-decade-long civil war between his rebel force and the army of Sudan’s Islamic-oriented government based in Khartoum.
The charismatic Garang was hailed for helping seal the peace deal, particularly across southern Sudan and among the several million southern refugees living in Khartoum, many of whom took part in Monday’s violence.
Three days of national mourning were declared following his death, but it was not immediately clear when or where his funeral will be held. SPLM leaders are meeting in southern Sudan and are expected to make an announcement soon.
Monday’s riots killed 36 people and wounded approximately 300 more, said the government. No information was available on how many of those killed were security forces and protesters.
An overnight curfew was lifted at 6am on Tuesday, with wary residents stepping outside onto streets where the day before rioters smashed shops and cars, set other vehicles alight and chased pedestrians with stones.
The skeletons of burned cars had been towed away, leaving charred ashes and broken glass scattered over streets. Drivers who come to hotels to pick up foreigners working in Khartoum assured their clients that the city was safe.
But some Khartoum residents were still cautious and a number of downtown business remained shuttered and traffic was lighter than normal.
The SPLM has named Garang’s longtime deputy, Salva Kiir Mayardit, to succeed him as head of the movement and president of south Sudan.
Kiir will also probably be Sudan’s first vice-president, according to the January peace agreement that says the SPLM leader will hold that position, said Kenyan General Lazaro Sumbeiywo, a mediator in the peace talks.
One of Kiir’s immediate tasks will be to continue working with el-Bashir and Sudan’s second vice-president to form a Cabinet by August 9.
Garang was the dominant voice of the south since 1983. A colonel in Sudan’s army, he was sent south to quell a rebellion but deserted to form a rebel movement that fought the Muslim government in Khartoum for a share of wealth and political power for the mostly Christian and animist south. More than two million people died in the conflict.
The deal and Garang’s ascension to the national unity government were signs of hope for others who feel marginalised in Sudan. Many in the east and west, fighting their own battles with Khartoum, considered Garang an advocate. – Sapa-AP