Five Sudanese towns participate in Thursday’s protests: statement
January 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese opposition and professional forces participating in the nearly one-month anti-government protests announced that five towns will participate in the march of 17 January.
The Sudanese Professionals Association, National Consensus Forces, Sudan Call and Gathering of Unionists in Opposition on the first hours of Wednesday issued a joint statement after the evening protests of Tuesday in Khartoum state.
The evening protests are seen by the organizers as a means to reduce the effectiveness and strength of the security forces during the large weekly demonstrations.
The march of his week was scheduled to take place in Khartoum as the opposition groups said it will head to the presidential palace to demand President Omer al-Bashir to step down.
Also, in a confrontational approach, they opted this time to gather on El-Qasr Avenue which leads directly to the Republican Palace.
The joint statement on Wednesday said that besides Khartoum march, other processions will take place Madani, Sennar Ruffaha and Atbara.
“As we are approaching the month since the start of our glorious revolution, and approaching the anniversary of the liberation of Khartoum, let us culminate our revolution by a political strike and civil disobedience,” further said the opposition groups.
In its previous statement, the clandestine leadership of the demonstrations mentioned for the first time the civil disobedience. In this statement, they link it to the (134th) anniversary of the liberation of Khartoum on 26 January 1885.
The prolonged protests, analysts say, have upset the security apparatus as they failed to stop it even if they disperse the protesters every time.
“The protests in Sudan are like the bullfighting in Spain, the demonstrators want to exhaust the bull before giving it the coup de grace,” said a political commentator in Khartoum who declined to be named.
(ST)