KHARTOUM: Sudanese demonstrators are expected to stage a “million-strong” march on Thursday to press for a civilian administration after talks with military rulers failed to agree its composition. The two sides have agreed on forming a joint civilian-military council to run Sudan but are at odds over the number of each side’s representatives.
Protest leaders from the Alliance for Freedom and Change say the army is not serious about handing power to civilians, three weeks after it toppled president Omar Al Bashir. The army, which took over after Bashir’s ouster on 11 April, has been pushing for a 10-member council, including seven military representatives and three civilians. The alliance is demanding a council made up of eight civilians and seven generals.
The disagreement prompted the alliance to announce the “million-strong march on 2 May to assert our main demand, which is for civilian rule”. The call has exacerbated tensions between the two sides. The military council has warned it will not allow “chaos” and urged protesters to dismantle makeshift barricades they have set up around the main protest site outside army headquarters.
It also demanded protesters open roads and bridges blocked by demonstrators who have camped outside the headquarters for weeks, even after Bashir’s fall. Adding to the deepening discord, the military council said six security personnel were killed in clashes with protesters across the country on Monday.
“The military council is not serious about handing over power to civilians. The military council insists the (joint) council should be military-led with civilian representation,” said Mohamed Naji Al Assam, a leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) spearheading the protests.
In an interview with AFP news agency, Sudan’s main opposition leader Sadiq Al Mahdi on Wednesday warned protest leaders against provoking the military. “If we provoke the… armed forces which contributed to the change, we would be asking for trouble,” he said.
The spokesman of the military council, Lieutenant General Shamseddin Al Kabbashi, said the “armed forces must remain in the sovereign council” because of tensions facing the country.