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A number of Sudanese workers from banks, airports and electricity were arrested before a strike against the military regime, said the main protest group.
According to the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), employees are also threatened by the authorities.
The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) has made no comment.
Activists have called for civil disobedience on Sunday, days after the military crackdown left dozens dead in the capital, Khartoum.
The army took power after persistent protests led to the ouster of longtime President Omar al-Bashir in April, promising a transition to civilian rule.
But activists for democracy say that one can no longer trust the military council after the crackdown on Monday against a sit-in protest in Khartoum – and they rejected an offer of talks.
In addition, three opposition figures involved in mediation efforts have been arrested.
What is the last of Khartoum?
Most offices and businesses remain closed and traffic is light in the city, reports Catherine Byaruhanga of the BBC in the Sudanese capital.
Gunfire was reported as security forces continued their deployments throughout most of Khartoum.
The protesters asked people to stay at home and not work as a form of civil disobedience.
They say that demonstrations are no longer possible because of the violent repression of the army.
"The civil disobedience movement will begin Sunday and will end only when a civilian government comes to power on state television," the SPA said in a statement.
"Disobedience is a peaceful act that can bring the world's most powerful weapons arsenal to its knees."
The goal of the strike is to create an effective closure of the government that will prevent the military council from governing, added our correspondent.
What about arrests of opposition?
Mohamed Esmat, an opposition politician, was arrested Friday shortly after meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, officials said.
At the same time, Ismail Jalab, leader of the SPLM-N rebel group, and his spokesman, Mubarak Ardol, were arrested early Saturday.
Their whereabouts are unknown, and badysts say the arrests suggest that mediation efforts have not been taken seriously by the military.
On Wednesday, the SPLM-N said its deputy leader, Yasir Arman, was arrested at his home in Khartoum. He had returned from exile after the fall of Mr. Bashir.
Esmat and Jalab are both leading members of the Alliance for Freedom and Change, an organization that brings together opposition figures, protest leaders and rebel groups.
"This comes down to a concrete response from the military council that effectively rejects the Ethiopian prime minister's mediation effort," said Khalid Omar Yousef, leader of the opposition alliance.
The TMC appears to be emboldened by the political and financial support it has received from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, none of whom want true democracy, says Mary Harper, editor-in-chief. from BBC World Service Africa.
What was Monday's violence?
Opposition activists said that a dreaded paramilitary unit, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), had killed 108 people in the crackdown, with at least 40 bodies withdrawn from the Nile in Khartoum on Tuesday.
The Sudanese authorities, however, estimated the figure at 46. The RSF leader said that unwanted elements and drug traffickers were at the root of the violence.
RSF, formerly known as the Janjaweed militia, gained notoriety for the brutal atrocities committed in the Darfur conflict in western Sudan in 2003.
The people of Khartoum told the BBC that they were living in fear in the capital.
A number of women arrested by RSF have reported being beaten repeatedly with sticks and threatened with execution. They said that RSF troops ordered them to save their lives and then opened fire. Other victims, they said, were forced to drink sewage and urinate.
On Thursday, the African Union suspended the membership of Sudan "with immediate effect" and warned against further action if the power was not transferred to a civilian authority.
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