“What happened in El-Obeid is a regrettable and upsetting matter and the killing of peaceful citizens is unacceptable and rejected and a crime that requires immediate and deterrent accountability,” Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was quoted as saying, Reuters reported.

Sudan’s main protest group on Monday demanded the ruling military council immediately agree to a final transition deal after the incident.

In a statement, the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which spearheaded protests that led to the removal of long-time president Omar al-Bashir in April, also called for nationwide protests in response to the killings in El-Obeid, some 400 km (250 miles) southwest of the capital Khartoum.