Ten killed, dozens injured in Sudan explosion

Khartoum

At least ten people, including children, died and several dozens wounded on Monday night after a grenade exploded at a wedding ceremony in Khartoum.

Witnesses said the incident involving a suicide bomber went off in the Hajj Youssef suburb, east of the capital as a crowd gathered for the ceremony.

Police later revealed Ahmed Kucu Dauod, 23, a military man had detonated the bomb and died in it. Authorities said they would investigate the incident.

But witnesses said they saw the man hurling the explosive which caused panic in the crowd

Some conflicting accounts said the bomber was disappointed after the woman he wanted to marry chose another person whom she was wedding on Monday night.

CITY ARMY BASES

But the incident also brought forth the continual discomfort by civilians living side by side with soldiers in the city. In the last few weeks, residents have asked the government to relocate army bases outside the capital, to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.

“This person wanted to spread terror among those present at the ceremony. Many of those injured, including children and women did not survive,” Muhammad Ali Adam, a resident who was present told the EastAfrican.

CASUALTIES

On Tuesday morning, the Resistance Committees, groups of volunteers formed after the December revolution that saw the later ousting Omar al-Bashir last April, mobilised a blood donation campaign for the injured as the government assured families of their safety.

Traditionally, in Sudan, friends sometimes shoot in the air or hurl explosives at weddings especially if the groom is a member of the military.

However, there have been security incidents where people are injured or killed. Some locals have called for adequate separation between military and civilians.

Last week, a man and his two daughters were killed as disgruntled soldiers of the Operations Corps, a disbanded unit of the spy agency, mutinied against orders to leave. The family was reportedly killed by a stray shelling but residents claimed the centrality of the spy agency base within a residential area contributed.

After the incident, authorities closed main roads leading to the headquarters of the base in Riyadh and Kafouri neighbourhoods until the situation was under control.