Sudanese protest group calls for "civil disobedience" nationwide | Sudan News

The main protest group in Sudan has announced a national campaign of "civil disobedience" that would take place until the ruling generals cede power to a civilian government.

The call of the Association of Sudanese Professionals (ASP), which launched the protests against former President Omar al-Bashir, comes a few days after the bloody crackdown on protesters that killed dozens in the capital Khartoum .

"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 statement said.

It was still unclear how the campaign would take place in the streets, especially in Khartoum, where all the streets and main streets have been deserted since Monday's crackdown.

Led by men in military fatigues, the raid for several weeks outside the military complex resulted in at least 113 deaths, according to doctors close to the protesters.

According to the Ministry of Health, 61 people died in the crackdown, including 52 live ammunition in Khartoum.

According to eyewitnesses, the attack was led by the dreaded Rapid Support Forces (RSF), from the famous Janjaweed militia, accused of committing violations of the conflict in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.

Day after mediation

The call for "civil disobedience" comes a day after the visit of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Khartoum, with the aim of restarting talks between the generals and leaders of the protest on the country's transition.

The Sudanese military council took power in April after ousting Bashir after several months of demonstrations against his three-decade reign.

Since then, he has resisted calls from protesters and Western countries to transfer power to a civilian administration.

Several rounds of talks with the protesters finally failed in mid-May.

In an attempt to revive the talks, the Ethiopian prime minister held separate meetings with both parties in Khartoum on Friday.

"The army, the people and the political forces must act with courage and responsibility in taking swift action for a period of democratic and consensual transition," Abiy said in a statement released on Monday. from the meetings.

"The army must protect the country's security and its people and its political forces must reflect on its future."

Three members of an opposition delegation who met with the Ethiopian prime minister were later arrested, their aides said Saturday.

Mohamed Esmat, an opposition politician, was arrested on Friday while Ismail Jalab, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement of the North (SPLM-N), was taken overnight to his home.

"A group of armed men entered the vehicles at 3 am (0100 GMT) and took away Ismail Jalab … without giving any reason," said one of his aides, Rashid Anwar. , at the AFP news agency. He added that SPLM-N spokesman Mubarak Ardol had also been arrested.

Esmat and Jalab are both leading members of the Alliance for Freedom and Change, an umbrella for opposition parties and rebel groups.

The Alliance, whose SPA is a key member, has been the main organizer of mbad demonstrations since December, which led to the dismissal of Bashir.

Khartoum switched on

The arrest of leaders may further complicate efforts to reconcile the protest movement and the generals.

"The Transitional Military Council is not really serious about the negotiations with civilians, it could not have been more blatant in the eyes of the opposition, and it certainly paralyzes any effort to to advance the negotiations. " Eric Reeves, a Sudanese researcher at Harvard University, told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, activists call security forces to participate in the deadly raid during the sit-in. "We want responsibility for every blood," activist Mohammed Ameen told Al Jazeera.

Ameen said that there should be a new military council that should have the mission of empowering a civilian authority.

Since the crackdown, the residents of Khartoum have mostly taken refuge in the interior and the streets have been deserted. RSF members and soldiers cleared the main streets of Khartoum on Saturday of the obstacles put in place by the protesters.

Protesters had used tires, tree trunks and rocks to erect makeshift barricades, which the generals had warned not to tolerate.

Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the military council and head of RSF's military council, warned that he would tolerate "no chaos".

Some barricades remained in place, witnesses said Saturday, but the site of the demonstration at the headquarters of the army was banned.