At least nine people were wounded on Wednesday when Sudanese forces used live ammunition to clear demonstrators from central Khartoum, a protest group said, and talks aimed at establishing a body to lead Sudan to democracy have been suspended indefinitely.

A spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA), which spearheaded months of protests that led to the military's removal of President Omar al-Bashir last month, said: "We hold the military council responsible for attacking civilians.

"They are using the same methods as the previous regime in dealing with rebels," SPA spokesman Amjad Farid told Reuters.