Sudan: Marchers converge on army headquarters to confront junta rulers
Sudanese marchers have converged from all directions on army headquarters for a “million-strong” demonstration to turn up the heat on the junta rulers.
Witnesses said marchers were closing in on the main protest site from different directions in the capital Khartoum on Thursday.
Across the city, demonstrators arrived at the army headquarters from the states of Jazeera, White Nile and also from Shendi, increasing the numbers already camped at the site, many of them for the past several weeks.
Sudanese judges from the Supreme Court also joined the protests for the first time.
“We are here to give a message that the judiciary should be independent without any political intervention,” media outlets quoted a judge as saying.
Crowds of protesters also gathered outside Egypt’s embassy and consulate, which were surrounded by riot police.
They held banners calling on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi not to “interfere in our affairs”, after Cairo hosted a summit of African leaders calling for more time for a transition to civilian rule in Sudan.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which led the protests against deposed President Omar al-Bashir, says the march calls for “civilian rule” in the country.
“Our sit-in will continue to protect our revolution and to ensure that all our demands are achieved,” SPA said in a statement.
The latest demonstrations came after the military council announced that three members of the ruling body had stepped down after demands from protesters.
The Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) took over after toppling President Omar al-Bashir on April 11.
Protest leaders have vowed to continue organizing sit-ins and other rallies as part of a widening campaign to confront the junta and push for the transfer of power to a civilian council.
The protests in Sudan broke out on December 19, 2018, in the face of a government decision to triple the price of bread. They quickly turned into a mass movement across the country against the ruling regime, and finally led to Bashir’s ouster.
Bashir, who ruled over Sudan for 30 years, had taken power in a coup in 1989.
Source: Presstv