Sudanese security forces fired tear gas canisters at several processions on Sunday and arrested dozens of demonstrators on the first day of a new campaign of civil disobedience against the army, alone in command after the October 25 coup.
Since the dissolution that day by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane of all the institutions and the arrest of almost all the civilians with whom he shared power, the streets have come into resistance.
Sunday, the first day of the week in Sudan, hundreds of demonstrators marched in Wad Madani (south) or Atbara (north) chanting “The people have chosen the civilians”.
In Khartoum, two processions came under tear gas canisters. One in the turbulent al-Bourri district and the other made up of dozens of teachers in “silent protest against the decisions of General Burhane”, explained to Agence France-Presse Mohammed al-Amine, professor of geography.
“The police fired tear gas canisters at us, while we were only standing there with our signs,” he added.
According to the teachers’ union, 87 demonstrators were arrested “without a warrant” and a teacher had her leg broken.
“No negotiation”
Since, on October 25, soldiers arrested most of the civilian leaders, the list of detainees has continued to grow: politicians, activists, young people posted on barricades, but also senior officials and passers-by, all arrested without arrest warrant.
Despite everything, “we will continue to fight until power is handed over to civilians”, insists Asser Ahmed near a barricade in Omdourman, the twin city of Khartoum, where, as in the capital, there are dams of bricks and cobblestones. were reassembled on Saturday evening. To respect civil disobedience, shops have remained closed.
The University of Khartoum, where female students have been beaten by soldiers even in their dormitories, announced an unlimited walkout while the University of the Red Sea in the east said it was suspending classes for “the safety of the students. “.
From “general strike” to monster demonstrations, the Sudanese, who had forced the army to dismiss dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, want to weigh in while behind closed doors soldiers, civilians and mediators negotiate a solution to the crisis.
So far these discussions have neither led to the formation of a new government or the return of the old cabinet nor to the adoption of a clear position on whether or not the resumption of the democratic transition launched at the fall of Bashir.
“No dialogue, no negotiation, no partnership” with the army, proclaim the pro-democracy in press releases sent by SMS, the Internet having been blocked for 14 days.
In 2019, senior officers and civilians decided to manage the transition together, but many today consider such a partnership impossible.
International concern
The Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok, under house arrest, and his rare ministers at liberty continue to plead the return to before October 25, but the army wants a new government more inclined to safeguard its interests, say experts.
On Sunday evening, former armed rebels who had signed peace with the transitional authorities, then embodied by General Burhane and the technocrat Hamdok, denounced the coup, raising fears of a return of tensions in a country torn by the conflicts for decades.
Malik Agar, Al-Hady Idris and Al-Taher Hagar – all members of the Sovereignty Council which oversaw the transition before being dissolved – again demanded “the release of all prisoners unconditionally”.
International negotiators are stepping up meetings with the two camps, but their task is complicated: the UN representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes, was indignant on Thursday to see that politicians who had come to meet him were arrested on his way. door.
On Sunday, a delegation from the Arab League pleaded for a return to partnership between civilians and soldiers with Mr. Hamdok and General Burhane, who continues the purges. After dismissing all the directors of state-owned companies, he sacked several directors of state-owned banks.
Four ministers have been released by the military, but others are still being held and General Burhane has hinted that they will be prosecuted. The ambassadors of the “Troika” (United States, United Kingdom, Norway) met with released civilian leaders on Sunday, saying they were in “good health”.
The coup and the crackdown that killed 14 protesters according to doctors have already earned Sudan its suspension from the African Union and cuts in international aid.