Sudan protesters plan general strike as talks falter
SUDANESE protest leaders called on their supporters Tuesday to prepare for a general strike after talks with the country’s military rulers stalled on who will lead an agreed three-year transition.
Protest leaders had reached agreement with the ruling military council on the other main aspects of the transition. But early on Tuesday, the generals who overthrew veteran president Omar al-Bashir last month baulked at protesters’ demands for a civilian head and a civilian majority for an agreed new sovereign council to lead the transition. “In order to achieve a full victory, we are calling for a huge participation in a general political strike,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, which took the lead in organising the four months of nationwide protests that led to Bashir’s ouster.
“The strike is our revolutionary duty and the participation in the sit-in... is a crucial guarantee to achieve the goals of the revolution.” Protest leader Madani Abbas Madani said the preparations for a “general political strike and civil disobedience” were already under way.