Sudan protest group calls for strike amid transition stand-off

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s main protest group called on Monday
for civil disobedience and a general strike as meetings with the
country’s military rulers failed to provide any breakthrough on the
formation of a joint civilian-military transitional council.

As tension between the two sides rose, the Sudanese
Professionals Association (SPA) said in a statement that the
military had tried to break up a sit-in in the capital Khartoum
where protesters are demanding a handover to civilian rule.

It called on more civilians to join the sit-in and for
protesters to erect barriers to protect themselves. A witness told
Reuters that security forces dressed in civilian clothes had tried
to remove barricades leading to the sit-in, before withdrawing.

The SPA, which spearheaded months of protests that led to the
ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir on April 11, is part of
an opposition coalition that has held three meetings since Saturday
with the Transitional Military Council (TMC).

The two sides had been due to talk on Monday about the make-up
of the proposed body, but the TMC focussed the discussions instead
on the future council’s functions and powers, two sources familiar
with the discussions said.

The make-up of the proposed council is key because activists
have insisted that the body be civilian-led. The TMC has not
indicated that it is willing to cede ultimate authority.

The joint council would be the sovereign body overseeing a
government of technocrats and a legislative council.

After Bashir’s ouster the TMC announced it would remain in place
for two years ahead of elections. The Declaration of Freedom and
Change Forces, an umbrella alliance of activists and opposition
groups, wants a four-year transition overseen by a civilian-led
council with military representation.

Protesters have kept up pressure on the TMC through mass rallies
and the sit-in outside the defence ministry compound, which began
on April 6.

TMC spokesman Shams El Din Kabbashi described Monday’s meeting
as positive and said the two sides had agreed to unblock the Blue
Nile Bridge and railways occupied by protesters. But the SPA denied
agreeing to open any bridges or railways.

“This is counter to reality and negates any agreement with the
military council, and we affirm that we are maintaining our sit-in,
and everything that the spokesman said is incorrect” the group said
in a statement.

The SPA said it would conduct a general political strike and
civil disobedience through the holy month of Ramadan, which starts
in early May, and the Eid holidays that follow.

The two sides are due to present their visions for the
transitional bodies within 24 hours, the Declaration of Freedom and
Change Forces said. A further meeting was planned to discuss the
joint council’s composition, according to sources.

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