Sudanese begin protest demanding for civilian administration

A huge crowd gathered in front of army headquarters in Khartoum on Thursday chanting revolutionary songs to put pressure on the transitional military council to hand overpower to a civilian administration.

Responding to the call for a million people to join the march by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), the main organizer of protests, the crowd demanded transfer of power without further delays.

“People are coming in from Khartoum and elsewhere, but more are expected tonight, we will continue our sit-in tonight, tomorrow and until our demands are met,” says Ahmed Najdi, a protester, in reference at the rally in front of the headquarters of the army which lasts since April 6th.

Among the protesters were Constitutional Court judges draped in their robes demanding for the “independence” of the judicial system and protesting “political interference”.

Peaceful protests have been reported in five other states of the country, including one in the western Darfur region, each responding in its own way to the call to participate in the Alliance for Freedom and Change’s “Million March”. (ALC), which brings together the main formations of the protest movement.

In the face of growing protest, the military council announced on Wednesday that it had reached an “agreement” with the ALC “on most of the demands presented” by this coalition, without giving any details or timetable for the transfer of power to a civil authority.

A transitional military council has been leading Sudan since President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by the army on April 11.