Sudan uprising: Another protester dies, professionals call for more actions
On Friday, a man who was hit on the head during attacks on protesters at the sit-in in front of the Sudanese army command in Khartoum on May 13, succumbed to his wounds. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) called for a more civil disobedience actions in addition to the two-day general strike next week, to pressure the military junta to hand power to a civilian government.
With the death of Mohamed Zein, the number of people killed during attacks by unidentified armed men on protesters at the sit-in on the evening of May 13 has risen to six.
Sudanese protesters chant slogans during a sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum on May 1, 2019 (AFP)
On Friday, a man who was hit on the head during attacks on protesters at the sit-in in front of the Sudanese army command in Khartoum on May 13, succumbed to his wounds. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) called for a more civil disobedience actions in addition to the two-day general strike next week, to pressure the military junta to hand power to a civilian government.
With the death of Mohamed Zein, the number of people killed during attacks by unidentified armed men on protesters at the sit-in on the evening of May 13 has risen to six.
Zein was seriously injured when he was hit on his head with rifle butts. He died in Waad Hospital in Khartoum on Friday morning.
Civilian government
On the same evening the protesters were attacked, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC) agreed on a three-year transitional period for the transfer of power to an entirely civilian administration, and the composition of an interim parliament that will be composed of 300 members.
The AFC (a coalition of the Sudan Professionals Association (SPA), the leading force behind the intifada, opposition parties and civil society groups) will be represented by 67 percent. The rest of the parliamentary seats will be occupied by other political parties.
Yet, both parties have not managed to agree on the formation of the Leadership Council so far. The TMC want it to be military-led, while the AFC insists on a civilian cabinet.
For this reason, the SPA has called for a two-day general strike on Tuesday and Wednesday to put pressure on the military junta.
In a statement on Friday, the SPA announced a series of actions to mobilise the Sudanese public for the general strike. “There is no longer any alternative to the weapon of a general strike to correct the course of the revolution and complete the journey we began,” the association states
The Sudanese protesters suspect the members of the TMC who ousted President Al Bashir on April 11, of not wanting to cede power to a civilian government that should be formed, according to the AFC, by technocrats.
Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’, Deputy chairman of the TMC and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, threatened last week to dismiss all government employees who participate in a strike.
Seminar
On Thursday evening, the sit-in El Fula, capital of West Kordofan, witnessed a seminar on the current political situation in the country.
Mutasim El Dei reported to Radio Dabanga that the speakers at the seminar dealt with the growing protests in West Kordofan as well with the decision of the Transitional Military Council last week to cancel the suspension of the old trade unions established by the regime headed by ousted President Al Bashir.
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