A sea of white-clothed mourners laid Sudanese editor Mohamed Taha to rest today after he was kidnapped and killed by unknown armed men, raising fears of a new brand of extreme violence in Sudan.
Taha's decapitated body was found dumped on a dirt road on Wednesday. He had drawn protests from Islamic groups last year by reprinting a series of articles questioning the roots of the Prophet Mohammed.
Amid cries of "There is no God but God" and "God is Greatest", thousands attended his funeral, including government ministers who sat alongside journalists and Taha's family.
"The authorities have to get these people - it's their responsibility," said Taha's uncle, Nasrallah Ali Mustafa. Hundreds of riot police lined the streets of central Khartoum and near the cemetery in a show of force by the interior minister whose resignation was demanded by hundreds of mourners at the morgue yesterday after Taha's body was found.
Sudanese were shocked by the gruesome crime, the first of its kind, and commentators voiced widespread concern it may be the start of a worrying new and violent trend. "Something must be done before the abduction phenomenon develops into a practice," said state-owned Sudan Vision, which printed in black and white only.
The semi-independent al-Watan paper said: "When you open this evil door to hell and knives and bullets take the place of the pen, this means we are.... on the path to chaos." Police said they had made some arrests but no one has claimed responsibility for his death and authorities admit they are at a loss as to who committed the crime.
"The circumstances are very murky," said journalist Sabah Mohamed al-Hassan. "This is the first time we see something like this in the history of this country.