Sudanese main protesting group has called for a general strike and civil disobedience on Monday, as meetings held with the nation’s transitional military council (TMC) failed to reach any breakthrough over the formation of a joint council.
As tensions escalated between the two sides, the SPA (Sudanese Professionals Association) group, in a statement, said the military had attempted to break-up a sit-in in Khartoum, where demonstrations took place by protesters demanding hand over of power to a civilian transitional body, according to Reuters news reports.
The SPA called on civilians to join the sit-in protest and protect themselves by erecting barriers. The security forces appeared in civilian clothes and tried to remove barricades leading them to the sit-in, a witness told Reuters.
TMC spokesperson Sham El-Din Kabbashi has described Monday’s meeting as positive and stated both sides agreed to resume railways and Blue Nile bridge, occupied by protesters. But, the SPA refused to agree to re-open any railways and bridges.
In a statement, the group said, “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.”
It said it would hold civil disobedience and general political strike through the holy months of Ramadan and the Eid holidays.