Sudan protest leaders call for marches on June 30

The Sudanese Professionals’ Association has called for marches next week demanding the handover of power to civilians.

The protests are planned to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Islamist-backed coup that brought Omar al-Bashir to power and toppled Sudan’s last elected government.

A spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, Ismail al-Tag addressed the media on Monday.

“We are calling and preparing for mass demonstrations on June 30 to make sure the military council hears the people’s voice in the streets and the Sudanese people will continue their revolution until it (council) meet their demands and reaches a civilian country”, he said.

An analyst believes the military council is just buying time.

“Yes, we are back at square one because this is not the first time they (military council) cancel the understandings. This is indeed the second time, as they cancelled the deal before, right after the sit-in break-up. I believe they are using time and waiting for the African Union’s initiative, especially after the pressure from the street on them decreased due to the break-up of the military headquarters sit-in”, said Dr Amany el-Taweel, head of the African program at al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

On Monday, Sudan’s military rulers rejected the Ethiopian proposal for a power-sharing deal with the opposition coalition.

The ruling generals said they would prefer a unified proposal from the African Union and Ethiopia.

AP