One officer, five protesters killed following clashes in Sudan capital Khartoum

One officer and five protesters were killed and many protesters wounded in the Sudanese capital late on Monday, Sudan’s state TV said, as crowds of demonstrators remain camped at a sit-in outside the army complex.

Earlier, heavy gunfire was heard in Khartoum late into the evening, and the transitional military council said a military police officer had been killed and many protesters wounded.

Violence flared after the military council and opposition groups said they had agreed to a power structure for the country’s transition following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir last month.

The council accused armed groups unhappy with progress towards a political deal of opening fire at protest sites. Protesters said counter-revolutionaries linked to the former regime were inciting violence.

Earlier, paramilitary forces patrolled the streets, using tear gas and gunshots to disrupt protests blocking roads.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces opposition alliance were due to meet on Tuesday to discuss two key sticking points: the military-civilian balance of power in transitional bodies, and the length of the transition before elections.

Protesters are pushing for a civilian-led transition and have kept up demonstrations against the council since military officers on April 11 removed and arrested Bashir, who is now facing multiple criminal investigations.