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The Sudanese opposition has rejected the project of the country's military authorities to hold elections within nine months, a day after a deadly crackdown on protesters who have witnessed the worst violence since the dismissal of President Omar al-Bashir in April.
At least 35 people were killed on Monday when security forces stormed a protest camp in front of the Ministry of Defense in central Khartoum, according to opposition-linked doctors.
The military council, which has ruled the country since the overthrow of al-Bashir, then canceled all agreements with the main opposition alliance and declared that an election should take place within nine months .
But Madani Abbas Madani, leader of the opposition "Declaration of Freedom and Change" alliance, said a campaign of civil disobedience would continue to try to force the council to step down.
The opposition rejected everything that Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), had said in his statement, Madani said.
"What happened, killing protesters, hurting and humiliating, was a systematic and planned affair to impose repression on the Sudanese people," he said.
Leaders of the demonstrations that forced al-Bashir to separate from power after three decades of authoritarian rule in April demanded the preparation of elections during a period of transition led by a civilian administration.
The military council has also been pressured both domestically and internationally to cede power to civilians.
The main organizers of the protest, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), accused the security forces of perpetrating "a mbadacre" when they burst into the camp amid heavy gunfire.
On Friday, the TMC called the sit-in a "danger" to the country's national security and warned that measures would be taken against its "unruly elements".
On the same day, the army also ordered the closure of the Al Jazeera media network office in Khartoum, without giving any reason, while withdrawing the work permits of correspondents and staff of the Qatar-based television channel. organization.
Mohammed Elmunir, a protester in Khartoum, said the security forces had blocked the exits of the sit-in site before firing on the protesters.
"They were shooting at everyone at random and running for their lives, blocking all the roads and most of the sit-in tents were set on fire," Elmunir told Al Jazeera.
The turmoil in Sudan has rocked the country since December, when anger over rising bread prices and liquidity shortages prompted sustained protests that led to the elimination of al Qaeda forces. -Being by the armed forces.
But talks between a coalition of protesters and opposition parties were interrupted amid deep differences over who would lead a transition to democracy, which both parties agreed would last three years.
In a televised speech Tuesday morning at dawn, the head of council, Al-Burhan, said the opposition coalition was also responsible for the delay in reaching a final agreement.
The council had decided to cancel all agreements with the protest groups and had called for the holding of elections within nine months, which would be organized under regional and international supervision.
"Gaining legitimacy and getting a warrant goes only through the ballot box," said al-Burhan.
He also announced that a government would be immediately formed to run the country until the elections are held.
Al-Burhan also said that he regretted the acts of violence and that an investigation would be opened.
The operation of the security forces has been condemned by Europe, the United States and the African Union.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said it was clear that they had used excessive force against civilians, while British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt called the dispersal of "scandalous".
The European Union has called for a rapid transfer of power to civilians. Neighboring Egypt called for "calm and restraint", while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed hope that dialogue would prevail in Sudan.
The Soufan group, a think tank on security and intelligence, warned that the situation could escalate quickly into violence.
"There are clear parallels with some of the Arab Spring protests that eventually led to full-fledged insurrections, notably in Syria, where indiscriminate civilian bombing by the military first galvanized protest movements. that triggered a wider uprising, "says the report.
"There is a real risk that the situation will degenerate into a widespread civil war, which would dramatically affect the region, with overflowing violence affecting the ongoing conflict in Libya".
Sudan has been on the list of US states sponsoring terrorism since 1993, which prevents the country from accessing financial markets and strangling its economy.
Washington lifted a 20-year trade embargo against Sudan in 2017 and was in talks to remove it from the list of sponsors of terrorism when the army intervened to dismiss al-Bashir.
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