Crowds to flood Khartoum as standoff with military persists

Sudanese demonstrators are expected to stage a ‘million-strong’ march Thursday to press for a civilian administration after talks with military rulers hit a snag.

The two sides have agreed on forming a joint civilian-military council to run Sudan but are at odds over its composition.

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 autocratic president Omar al-Bashir.

The army, which took over after Bashir’s ouster on April 11, 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 a ‘millionstrong march on May 2 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 ouster.

In an interview with AFP, Sudan’s main opposition leader Sadiq alMahdi 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.