Sudan protestors on Tuesday warned to go for a general strike as negotiation talks with the country’s ruling military council stalled after the two sides could not decide on who will lead an agreed three-year transition after the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir.
“Civilian power means that the structure is fully civilian with a civilian majority in all its parts,” the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said in a statement, reported Aljazeera. “In order to achieve a full victory, we are calling for huge participation in a general political strike.”
The protest alliance group is demanding civilians head a new Sovereign Council, while the Sudanese army is still insisting on directing the transition and keeping a military majority on the council.
The SPA has not announced any date for the strike. The two sides have held several rounds of talks since the military’s ousting of al-Bashir, ending his 30-year reign following four months of mass protests and sit-ins. The former President is currently being held in a jail in Khartoum.
The protesters continue to hold a mass sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum. They have vowed to continue with the protests until the military hands over power to civilians.
Meanwhile, the U.S., Britain, and Norway have issued a statement urging an immediate transition to civilian rule.
“Any outcome that does not result in the formation of a government that is civilian-led, placing primary authority for governing with civilians, will make it harder for our countries to work with the new authorities and support Sudan’s economic development,” the statement said.
Also on Tuesday, Sudan’s prosecutor’s office said in a statement that former intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Salah Abdallah Gosh’s guards blocked his arrest for questioning about an account containing 46 billion Sudanese pounds (801 million pounds) which was only accessible to him.
