Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said security forces are not responsible for the killing of protesters during a month of protests.
Addressing a Sufi religious event in Al-Kireida area of White Nile state on Sunday, Bashir blamed “infiltrators” for the recent deaths of demonstrators.
“For example, the doctor who was killed recently in Burri was killed by a weapon not found with all the security organs and it does not exist in Sudan,” he said.
He further said infiltrators within the protesters are the ones who shot and killed some anti-government demonstrators to undermine the stability and security of the country.
The 74-year-old leader said his security forces had arrested rebel supporters who confessed that they "were instructed to infiltrate the ongoing anti-government protests" in order to fuel the conflict.
He pointed out that the people of Sudan will decide on who will rule them after one year. “We stand by the choice of the Sudanese people. We respect people's choice,” he said.
Protests in Khartoum
Security forces fired tear gas and live bullets on Sunday at anti-government protesters and chased them into side roads in the capital's twin city of Omdurman, witnesses said.
Police forces were on Sunday deployed in the capital after union leaders and opposition groups called for a march on parliament to demand that President Omar al-Bashir step down.
A video shared on social media showed a National Security car overturned while officers were chasing anti-Bashir protesters in Al-Abbasiya neighbourhood in Omdurman city.
Bashir, who came to power in a military coup backed by Islamists in 1989, has remained defiant amid fears of unrest in the country.
Protests that first erupted on 19 December over a government decision to raise the price of bread have swiftly escalated into anti-government demonstrations.
The government says at least 24 people have been killed during the protests but Amnesty International says the death toll is twice as high.