Public uproar in Sudan is growing as open-ended sit-ins seek to pressure the Transitional Military Council to hand over power to civilians.
On Sunday, flocks of Sudanese protestors marched towards Sudanese army headquarters in central Khartoum, the African state’s capital, causing the closure of one of the city’s main streets, Nile Street. Eyewitnesses reported military deployments blocking demonstrators from entering or exiting the site.
In a statement, the Sudanese Professionals Association decried the military looking to oppress protesters and resorting to violence to disperse the sit-in.
The Association called on people to join in on a wave of new civil protests it rebooted on Sunday.
Releasing a rally plan, the group said it was keen on reinforcing revolutionary protesting and help the people to get their message across peacefully.
Marches organized by the Association, set to last until May 18, will be held near daily in the afternoon. Advertised for by local committees working on a grassroots level, protests will cover civilian neighborhoods and feature individual speeches by activists and volunteer speakers.
Debates and national awareness programs will be also on offer for demonstrators.
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It is worth noting that since April 6, thousands of protesters have been holding a continuous sit-in in front of the headquarters of the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces in Khartoum.
The spokesman for the Coalition of Freedom and Change Forces, Rashid Al-Sayyed, revealed that demonstrators and the military council were slated to discuss political transition on Sunday, but the meeting was rescheduled to Monday. No further details were given as to why the talks were deferred.
On the other hand, local press sources said that an agreement was reached between the Council and the Coalition for resuming negotiations. Talks were put on hold after the Council expressed reservations about Coalition proposals for the transition of power to civilians, saying they “lacked seriousness.”
The Sudanese army ousted President Omar Al-Bashir following popular demonstrations against the deteriorating economic conditions and formed a transitional council to lead a two-year maximum transitional period.
Opposition alliances in Sudan are demanding a civilian presidential council, which would carry out sovereign missions during the interim period, a civilian legislative council, and a small civilian cabinet consisting of national competencies to carry out executive functions.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
