Sudan protest and opposition leaders on Monday called for another wave of mass protests next week to demand the handover of power to civilians. The announcement was made after Sudan’s ruling military council rejected an Ethiopian proposal for a transitional government.
The opposition group said it will continue escalating protests and that it is organizing a big demonstration on June 30, reported Africa News.
Ismail al-Tag, the spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, addressed the media on Monday.
“We are calling and preparing for mass demonstrations on June 30 to make sure the military council hears the people’s voice in the streets and the Sudanese people will continue their revolution until it (council) meet their demands and reaches a civilian country”, he said.
The mass protests are planned to mark the 30th anniversary of the Islamist-backed coup that brought former president Omar al-Bashir to power in 1989, toppling Sudan’s last elected government.
According to Reuters, the Sudanese security forces once again used violence to break up a protest by dozens of students in Khartoum on Monday. As per the report, the security forces chased the students who gathered in front of the National Ribat University in Burri neighborhood near the ministry of defense and beat them with batons.
Earlier on Monday, Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council rejected Ethiopia’s proposal to end the political deadlock over the composition of a new government. The ruling generals said Ethiopia needed to unify its proposal with the African Union’s (AU) proposal.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the African Union (AU) have been trying to mediate between the sides. The Ethiopian envoy to Sudan initiated diplomatic efforts to bring the military and protest leaders back to the negotiating table after a deadly crackdown by security forces earlier this month.
