Thousands in Khartoum call for military leader to stand aside
▶ Demands for civilian government mount after coup bid exposes Sudan power struggle
Thousands took to the streets of Khartoum and cities across Sudan on Thursday to call for the resignation of the country’s transitional leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
In the capital, motorists sounded their car horns and motorcyclists weaved their way among protesters who waved the national flag.
Crowds chanted the slogans they had chanted during the 2018-19 uprising against the rule of dictator Omar Al Bashir, who was overthrown by the army in 2019.
“Freedom, peace and justice”, they called. “Revolution is the choice of the people” and “Give it up, Al Burhan”.
The demonstrations were called by the Forces of Freedom and Change, a pro-democracy alliance that operates as the power base of the government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The group chose to demonstrate on October 21, the anniversary of an uprising that ended the six-year regime of military leader Ibrahim Abboud in 1964.
“We must complete the realisation of the revolution’s goals,” said protester Ayah Al Houry. “We need the revolution to move forward and make our country better.”
Hours before demonstrators poured on to the streets, an eerie quiet descended on the city, with most shops shut and little traffic. The area surrounding the army headquarters near the downtown area was sealed off.
The quiet was shattered when protesters began their march towards three destinations in the capital, the plaza outside Parliament in Khartoum’s twin city of Umm Durman, Airport Road and 60th Street, both in eastern Khartoum.
The crowds grew steadily larger under a clear sky and a temperature of nearly 40°C, showing that the FFC continues to be able to mobilise the masses.
“We are here to reassert the necessity of civilian rule,” said Zarrouq Al Mubarak, 52, a government employee.
“We will not stage a sit-in. We will go home at the end of the day and let the government handle the situation.”
Ali Ammar, a protest leader from the FFC, urged its supporters “to fill the streets across the country”.
“Our protest will not come near the Presidential Palace or the Cabinet building, so there will be no friction,” he said.
Rival pro-military protesters have been camped near the palace for days.
The FFC is made up of professional and trade unions, as well as political parties and rebel groups. It was the main force behind months of street protests that prompted the military to remove Al Bashir.
Relations between the military and its civilian partners in a transitional government have been tense since a failed coup attempt last month brought their differences to the surface.
Thursday’s demonstrations are a serious escalation in the continuing battle of wills between the two sides.
Nasr Mohammed, a leader of the mainstream pro-civilian faction, urged protesters to be “peaceful”, while former rebel leader Mini Minawi called on pro-army supporters to maintain order.
“October 21 is a day of tolerance, not of incitement or violence,” he said.