Sudan: New call on political strike and civil disobedience

Sudanese Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), Monday, called for civil disobedience throughout the country on 14 July, following on from the mass demonstrations that demanded the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand power over to civilians.

The FFC said in a statement that on Sunday, 14 July, “civil disobedience and a comprehensive political strike in all professional, artisanal, labour and working sectors in the capital and the rest of the districts will take place, in conjunction with protests of Sudanese communities abroad.”

The FFC also called for the formation of a civilian legislative council comprising figures of the revolutionary forces to issue laws and legislation, demanding the TMC hand over power to a civilian authority immediately, in accordance with the Declaration of Freedom and Change.

The FFC stressed the need to launch an independent investigation with regional support to determine the party responsible for the demonstrators’ deaths, since last April.

The FFC reiterated, at a press conference, the movement’s commitment to the African-Ethiopian initiative as a basis for negotiations.

The FFC added that negotiations with the TMC should be indirect while explaining to mediators of African-Ethiopian initiative that a time frame must be set for the negotiation process. Thus, the FFC stressed that the struggle of the Sudanese people will continue using peaceful means to attain the objectives of the revolution.

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Madani Abbas Madani, FFC leader, indicated at a press conference in Khartoum: “We will not abandon the political negotiation track, and we will not let go of the course of peaceful escalation”, confirming that nine people were killed and 200 others injured during Sunday’s protests.

For his part, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, stated that the peaceful transfer of power to a civilian government is the answer to the Sudanese crisis which cannot be solved by killing and using live ammunition against demonstrators.

The US embassy in Khartoum conveyed via Twitter that peaceful demonstrations in Khartoum and many other cities across Sudan confirm the people’s demand for a civilian transitional government.

The peaceful demonstrations in Khartoum and many other cities throughout Sudan on June 30 underscore the demand of the people of Sudan for a civilian-led transitional government. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/wGGlIK9lFv

— U.S. Embassy Khartoum (@USEmbassyKRT) July 1, 2019

In another tweet, the US embassy demanded that the military authorities be held accountable for the death of peaceful protesters, considering the use of live ammunition against the demonstrators as a deplorable act.

The US embassy also called for the need to reach an immediate agreement on the formation of a consensus transitional government.