Sudan army announces closure of General Command area to prevent sit-in

The Sudanese army announced the closure of the area surrounding its General Command headquarters in the centre of the capital of Khartoum, starting from Friday until further notice. This comes against the backdrop of the promotion of opponents of the revolution with their intention to hold a sit-in in front of the headquarters to achieve their objectives.

This came in a statement issued on Thursday by the leadership of the country’s armed forces.

“Some elements opposed to the people’s revolution have taken advantage of the emergency conditions in the country, and started promoting their approach and holding of a sit-in in front of the General Command of the Armed Forces in order to achieve their agenda,” announced the statement without further clarification.

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It added that: “Based on this situation, the armed forces announce that the area around the General Command is a military zone and it is forbidden to get close to it. The General Command will take all necessary precautions and measures, including the closure of the roads leading to its headquarters buildings and its surroundings.”

The statement called on citizens to move away from this specified area, as of 6 am on Friday (local time) until further notice, in order to maintain security and stability.

The headquarters buildings are located in Khartoum in the southern side of the city centre, and a number of main and branch roads cross them.

READ: Hundreds demonstrate in Khartoum, demand departure of transitional Hamdok government

Earlier on Thursday, hundreds of citizens demonstrated in the surrounding areas of the headquarters of the Army’s General Command, in protest against the economic situation, and in demand of the departure of the transitional government headed by Abdalla Hamdok.

On 21 August, 2019, Sudan commenced a 39-month transitional period, which would end with elections in which the dissolved military council, and the Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, the leader of the popular movement, would share power.