Special report: Inside the June 3 massacre now etched into Sudan's collective memory

One year ago, the streets of Khartoum were filled with mud and puddles but even the threat of more unseasonal rain couldn't keep the thousands of protesters away. Many wore black rubbish bags to keep dry.

If anything, the previous day's downpour had brought a welcome respite from the merciless June heat.

One day remained of Ramadan and cooler weather would go a long way towards making the dawn-to-dusk fast less taxing. June 4, 2019, was to be the first day of the Eid Al Fitr.

Outside the armed forces headquarters in central Khartoum, the protesters at the sit-in encampment ordered cookies, cakes and sweets, arranging a massive dinner to mark the end of the fast.

Shortly before dawn, they ate their last meal before the final day of fasting and then, soon after the adhan rang out from the city's mosques, gathered in groups to pray.

But as the sun rose, thoughts of the forthcoming festivities were overshadowed by fears.

The sit-in began on April 6, five days before the military removed Omar Al Bashir, Sudan's dictator of 29 years. Protesters remained in place to press demands for the generals to hand power to a civilian government. In a country that had witnessed coups and military rule, many feared the promises from the military of an orderly transition would not be fulfilled.

When members of the security forces moved in on June 3, the sit-in was 58 days old.

A Sudanese protester clad in mask and latex gloves runs during a demonstration marking the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

A year on, there is still dispute over the exact death toll from that night.

Opposition doctors say nearly 130 people were killed and hundreds more injured