Sudan prepared for general strike today

Preparations are complete for a general strike and comprehensive campaign of civil disobedience, called by the opposition Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC), to begin across Sudan today.

In a statement on Friday, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) called on all Sudanese not to go to work, starting on Sunday, not to deal with government agencies, and to postpone any government action. It also called on people to avoid movement outside the districts and between cities.

It called on citizens to close all roads by placing barricades, but not to guard them to avoid arrest.

Witnesses said that the campaign to call for civil disobedience was promoted via text messages after internet services were curbed, organising marches and speeches. They expect the civil disobedience to completely paralyse public life.

Professionals

A number of professional entities such as doctors, teachers, university professors, businessmen, engineers, aviation, and other entities have declared their commitment to civil disobedience and strike.

The military junta preceded the civil disobedience with a campaign of arrests among the professionals including sectors pilot Adil El Mufti and a number of engineers in the electricity company, including Engineer Ezeldin Sirelkhatim, director of the Sudanese distribution company in Khartoum state.

The families of the detainees pointed out that the arrests were carried out by the security services on Thursday and Friday.

States

In Blue Nile state, large sectors of workers and employees declared their readiness for the political strike and civil disobedience.

Abdelaziz Soreiba of the leadership of the AFC in Ed Damazin, told Radio Dabanga "The broad response to the strike and civil disobedience among the various sectors came as a result of increased awareness and congestion among the masses because of the massacre of the General Command in Khartoum, saying that the resistance committees in the city are blocking roads in the yards despite the heavy deployment of the militias and the rapid support of the citizens to remove the barricades of mass civil disobedience tomorrow.

El Gedaref

Jaafar Khidir of the leadership of the AFC in El Gadaref said " The statement called on citizens to block roads through barricades, stay at home, not go to work and shut down shops, and demanded social solidarity to deal with the effects of civil disobedience and strike" said. He pointed out that the resistance committees in the city engaged in lengthy meetings to arrange the disobedience expected unprecedented success.

North Kordofan

On Tuesday, the AFC in El Obeid in North Kordofan held mass rallies in the city calling for political and civil disobedience until the overthrow of the TMC. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Ali Ibrahim, spokesman for the SPA of El Obeid, stressed the existence of a large response among the resistance committees, government institutions and private sectors of the political strike and civil disobedience on Sunday,

He pointed to the AFC’s holding of public talks and meetings yesterday in the markets, mosques and neighbourhoods in the city to enlighten the masses of the civil strike and disobedience,

Ali Ibrahim appealed to the various sectors of the state to participate actively in the open political strike until the military junta is overthrown and the formation of the civil government.

He also appealed to the masses to adhere to the peacefulness of revolutionary action and non-violence.

Port Sudan

In the Red Sea state, port workers and Port Sudan Airport continued to strike and civil disobedience for the fifth day in a row to demand the handover of power to civilians.

Residents and journalists told Radio Dabanga that the high-profile campaigns of civil disobedience have organized all districts through resistance committees.

In northern Sudan, the AFC in Atbara in Nile River state appealed to the various professional sectors to engage in the political strike and civil disobedience to overthrow the military regime.

The AFC in the distributed large-scale pamphlets on Sunday calling on everyone to engage in the comprehensive political strike on Sunday and called on the masses to lock all the main roads to paralyse movement.

The preparatory committee of the Workers Union of the railway in Atbara appealed to all workers not to go to their work on Sunday.

Badreldin Hussein of the leadership of the AFC predicted the success of civil disobedience as a response to large sectors.

SPA warning on junta tactics

In an unambiguous warning statement on Friday, the SPA have urged the Sudanese public to be aware of the tactics they say are being used by the juntas and its adherents to provoke violence and cause the general strike and the civil disobedience to fail.

The full SPA statement below:

We received several reports about the continuation of the frenzied campaign launched by the military junta to arrest political activists and the revolutionaries. The militias of the security apparatus, and Janjaweed brigades have arrested a number of political leaders with the threat of killing them as well as the disappearance of a large number of revolutionaries whose fate is unknown.

In an obvious attempt to break and fail the upcoming civil disobedience and the political strike, the TMC, security forces, and Janjaweed militias threatened to arrest and have already detained a number of bankers, economists, electrical engineers, airport workers, and other essential employees in vital sectors of the country. The main goal of the civil disobedience and the political strike is to overthrow the military council and transfer the reins of power to a civil transitional authority in accordance with the Declaration of Freedom and Change.

‘Intimidation, terrorism and disinformation’

In continuation of the method of intimidation, terrorism and disinformation, we have learned that the TMC and the militias started new dirty schemes to provoke violent incidents and attacks on citizens’ properties in an abhorrent and depraved manner in order to portray them to the revolutionaries and the forces of freedom and change. All these things are done to disperse the unity of our people and its living forces around the options of peaceful resistance represented by the comprehensive civil disobedience and the general political strike.

‘Catastrophic and repressive developments’

In the face of these catastrophic and repressive developments, we call upon the workers in all institutions and facilities in the private and public sectors to engage in and strictly adhere to the tools of civil disobedience and the general political strike. These peaceful means are away to cherish the blood of the martyrs, protect the lives of colleagues and the loyalty of their struggles. We also appeal to all regional and international institutions, especially those related to banks and financial and economic transactions, not to deal with the oppressive authority of the country to stop the bloodshed and assassinations that we do not rule out for political leaders and revolutionaries. At the same time, we blame any violence, attack, and detention on the illegitimate military council.

We also salute the steadfastness of the revolutionaries, and we affirm that we expect all the evil planning of the TMC and we are working to face all possibilities until the dawn of salvation, which we will witness very soon. We call on all revolutionaries, neighbourhood committees, resistance and strike committees to raise the degree of organization and take all precautions and counter these campaigns with the necessary awareness, safety and caution.

---

Our editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about ongoing protests to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.