Thousands of Sudanese call for dissolution of Bashir's party

Thousands of Sudanese rally in several cities including Khartoum on Monday, urging the nation’s new authorities to dissolve the ruling National Congress Party of ousted leader, Omar al-Bashir.

Men and women gathered in Khartoum, Omdurman, Madani, Al-Obeid, Port Sudan, Zalinge and Darfur, a place of bloody conflict, to express their support to the new rulers of the country’s transition to civilian rule.

“One of our demands is justice. There are a number of lives that have been crushed and abused. The transitional government remains silent and they have not move a finger. And the economic situation is still extremely bad”, Abu Baker Hamed, a protester said.

For Mutawakel Imam, “Al-Bashir has killed many people. For thirty years he took lives, such as during the genocides in Darfur, Nuba Mountains, Eastern Sudan and the Blue Nile. In our region there are people, who are oppressed and marginalized. However, I tell them, what is right is right and this person in God’s will, he will go on trial.”

The rally commemorated the uprising of October 21, 1964, which overthrew the then military leader, Ibrahim Abboud.

Protest leaders also used the rally to call for justice for martyrs who were killed during the months-long uprising that overthrew Bashir.

Bashir and his National Congress Party have ruled Sudan for three decades from 1989, when he assumed power through a coup supported by Islamists.

In December 2018, a protest over economic hardships broke out leading to his ouster on April 11. According to the protest movement, more than 250 people have been killing in uprising. Officials gave a lower figure of the number of deaths.

Bashir is currently being held in a Khartoum prison over corruption charges. Several of his leaders and senior leaders of the party are also behind bars.

AFP