December 9, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) Monday said they found that 20 protesters are missing after the bloody attack on the peaceful sit-in on June 3.

The SPA which spearheaded the protest movement that toppled the al-Bashir regime last April continues to be pressed by the families of the martyrs and missing protesters to hold accountable the perpetrators of the brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy camp and to find the missing persons.

In November and early December, the local committees affiliated the SPA held protests in Khartoum demanding justice for the martyrs of the revolution and to investigate the missing protesters and to determine their fate.

Mohamed Nagy al-Asam, a leading figure of the SPA, announced the findings of an investigation committee formed by the group and said they determined and identified 20 missing protesters after the violent crackdown on the pro-democracy sot-in.

Among the 20 identified missing protesters "The SPA investigation committee found 15 missing persons, including five martyrs," Nagy said before to add they contacted the families of the other 10 who are alive, and they were receiving necessary medical and psychological care.

He indicated that some of the 10 persons who were found are suffering from psychological troubles.

Nagy also affirmed that the committee would continue the research operations in coordination with the Public Prospector’s Committee.

He stressed that there are other missing persons in different circumstances, but this committee worked only to investigate the missing people after the bloody raid on the sit-in.

The Sudanese authorities had announced that 24 persons were missing during the protests since December 2018.

But the SPA leading member stressed that the number of missing protesters is higher than previous figures.

The transitional government has formed an independent investigation committee to elucidate the circumstances and responsibilities of the violent attack on the protesters at the early hours of June 3, 2019.

The raid on the main protest site outside the army headquarters was carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and elements of the former National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

However, the leader of the paramilitary forces who was the deputy head of the military council and member of the Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Daglo denies ordering the attack and accuses Islamists NISS officers of manipulating his forces.

The Forces for Freedom and Changes estimate that over a hundred people were killed during the bloody attack on June 3.

(ST)