Sudanese stage mass rallies supporting civilian rule
KHARTOUM, October 21, 2021 – Sudanese massively took to the street across the country on Thursday to express their support for the democratic reforms aiming to establish a civilian state in Sudan.
The pro-democracy demonstrators carried the national flag and chanted slogans rejecting the military’s grip on power.
“We, as free revolutionaries will continue the journey”, “Either civil power or eternal revolution,” and “all power should be in the hands of the people” the demonstrators chanted.
The pro-democracy demonstrations gathered the supporters of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and those of the non-signatory groups – SPLM-N al-Hilu and SLM Abdel Wahid al-Nur, alike.
In Darfur five states demonstrators come out with additional slogans calling for justice, IDPs return to their home areas and the formation of a unified army.
In Khartoum, FFC leaders and ministers participated in the demonstrations. Some members of the Empowerment Removal Committee received a warm welcome as they had been criticized by their detractors from the FFC National Accord faction of Minni Minnawi.
The rallies were peaceful, except in Omdurman where the Rapid Support Forces fired tear gas on the demonstrators near the national parliament, at least eight people were injured including a journalist.
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok made a short statement saying that the nationwide demonstrations confirmed the adherence of Sudanese people to the civil state.
FFC leaders called to hand over power to civilians.
Mohamed Nagi Alasam, one of the leaders of the December Revolution told Sky News TV that the head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy did not show any intention to support the democratic transition in Sudan.
Alasam went further to accuse al-Burhan and Hemetti of being behind a sit-in organized near the presidential palace by a dissident faction, FFC National Accord, led by Minni Minnawi and Gibril Ibrahim, the leaders of two group signatory of the Juba Peace Agreement.
In the same trend, Cabinet Affairs Minister Khalid Omer said that the “palace sit-in” is made by the putschists who seek to give legitimacy to their coup against the democratic forces.
However, the leaders of the FFC National Accord reject such accusations and voice their support for civilian rule.
In a speech to the sit-inners outside the presidency in Khartoum, Ibrahim reiterated their support for the democratic transition in Sudan.
“We are not putschists or want coups,” he said before stressing the importance of partnership with the military component to ensure elections at the end of the transitional period.
(ST)