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Sudanese protesters began a two-day general strike on Tuesday to pressure the ruling army to hand over power to a civilian government.
The strike left hundreds of air pbadengers stranded at Khartoum airport Tuesday morning after Alliance opposition group for freedom and change asked the Sudanese pilots to participate.
An official at the international airport of the capital, said the local flights had been suspended Tuesday morningInternational flights are proceeding normally, "he said, and the official refused to give his name because he was not allowed to speak to the media.
"Just today, two planes from Ethiopian and Saudi airlines have landed at the airport, but employers in some companies are protesting and creating such problems," he said.
Flight tracking sites showed that some international flights took off Tuesday, but the status of most flights was "unknown" or "canceled".
"Better than expected"
The leaders of the protest-umbrella movement and the army generals who took power after overthrowing President Omar al-Bashir last month have so far failed to resolve the disputes over the choice of a future governing body: a civilian or a soldier.
"The response to the call to strike has been better than expected," Siddiq Farukh, the leader of the protest movement, told reporters on Monday.
"The two-day strike is intended to make the world understand that the Sudanese people want real change and that they do not want the power to be in the hands of the army," he added.
The new governing body should establish a transitional civilian government, which would in turn prepare for the first post-al-Bashir elections after the end of the three-year interim period.
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed Hemeti, said Monday that the council was ready to move quickly to power.
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Is a smooth transition possible in Sudan? (25:05) |
Hemeti accused the opposition of not wanting to seriously share power and wanted to confine the military to a ceremonial role.
"By God, their slogans have deceived us, I swear we were honest with them 100%," Hemeti said at a dinner with the police.
"That's why, by God Almighty, we will only give this country to safe hands."
Hiba Morgan of Al Jazeera, reporting from Khartoum, said it was not clear whether this latest round of strikes will force the armed forces to return to the negotiating table.
Markets, shops, closed restaurants
"The military council, even before the start of the strikes this morning, expressed concern about its impact, saying they would not agree to a strike, and also that those who would follow the strike will 39, call for opposition would be suspended.We have not heard from them yet, "said Morgan.
"The opposition hopes to be able to put enough pressure on the military to get them back to the negotiating table and it remains to be seen if this will happen," she added.
The Sudanese Central Bank has stated that the majority of its employees are on strike. A dozen commercial banks in the capital have been closed, said Al Jazeera Muez Ahmed, an organizer of the strike at the Khartoum bank.
"I can confirm that the 110 branches of the Khartoum bank are on strike, the banks of Faisal, Farmers, Animal Resources, Alnilain, Export Development, the Franco-Sudanese Bank, Albaraka and others are on strike, has he declared.
In downtown Khartoum, Popular markets, shops and restaurants were closed and public transport was not working. Bahri station in Khartoum was empty and no trains were running.
Electricians and telecommunications workers have closed, as have some flour mills and private food industries.
The protest leaders said doctors, lawyers and prosecutors would also participate in the strike.
They had previously said that the strike in the telecommunications and aviation sectors would not affect operations.
But the protest movement's plan was hit hard after a key member, the Umma National Party, declared that he opposed the strike plan because no unanimous decision had been reached. been taken about it.
"We must avoid such intensified measures that are not fully approved," the party said Sunday.
The Umma and its leader, Sadiq al-Mahdi, have for decades been the main opponents of the Al-Bashir iron fist regime.
The party put its weight in the protest movement after protests nationwide against al-Bashir in December.
Mahdi's elected government was overthrown by al-Bashir during a coup d'etat in 1989.
In a recent interview with AFP, Mahdi warned the protesters not to "provoke" the army leaders, who had been instrumental in the dismissal of Al-Qaeda. Bashir.
Demonstrator Hazar Mustafa said that a civilian government was the only solution to Sudan's problems.
"We see the military council as part of the old regime, we do not see it defending any rights and building a just state," she said.
Before the strike, the head of the ruling military council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, visited the regional allies of Khartoum, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The oil-rich Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Egypt, are seen as a support to the generals, even as the United States is leading Western calls to the United States. 39; rapid establishment of a civilian regime in the country.
Meanwhile, hundreds of pbadengers were stranded at Khartoum airport as dozens of employees of the facility went on strike. Many employees wore banners or badges marked "We are on strike".
Sudanese airlines Badr, Tarco and Nova suspended flights Tuesday, although some international flights are still scheduled.
Pbadengers were also stranded at Khartoum 's main bus station, while hundreds of employees attended the strike.
"I have to go to Gadaref to find Eid in my family, but I'm not angry because I understand the reason for the strike," said traveler Fatima Omar while she waited with her children at the terminal. bus.
Mohammed Amin contributed to Khartoum's report
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