Four killed during the first day of Sudan’s general strike
June 9, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Four people were shot dead in the capital on Sunday during the first day of the general strike which was largely followed in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities.
Sudanese deserted the streets and of Khartoum, as shops and markets were closed. Also, most of the public facilities in Khartoum were disrupted and air traffic at Khartoum airport stopped.
Official media continued to claim that public corporation and institutions continue to work normally activity assertions, but activists released images of empty streets without traffic and shops completely shut down. Also, banks were closed because their staff refused to work.
Reliable sources confirmed the disruption of the work of the courts and public prosecution offices after the strike of the judiciary staff.
In the same way, daily newspapers and magazines were not published due to the large participation of journalists and newspaper workers in the civilian disobedience.
The opposition Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) the spearhead of the pro-democracy protests in Sudan said the general strike will end with the fall of the military junta and the establishment of transitional civilian rule.
Sunday was the first working day after the end of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The SPA had called for the general strike after the killing of over a hundred peaceful protesters by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militiamen in the first hours of Monday 3 June.
Talks between the ruling military council and the opposition over power transfer stalled after the junta’s refusal to accept give the opposition coalition Forces for Freedom and Change to control of the collegial presidency saying they want to oversee the transition process.
The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD), a pro-democracy group, said four people were killed Sunday, some of them by gunshot wounds to the neck and chest in different parts of the capital.
The four victims were at the roadblocks and barricades in the neighbourhoods of the capital.
The CCSD said the killing of the four protesters bringing the death toll of civilians killed after 3 June attack on the sit-in to 118 people.
The RSF militiamen attempted to remove the roadblocks and barricades from the streets but they were shortly reestablished by the protesters.
In addition, the security forces fired tear gas at a group of protesters in Khartoum.
The cities of Wad Madani of Aljazira state, Port Sudan on the Red Sea, and Karima in Northern state, as well as other towns, took part in the nationwide protests.
Also, the SPLM-N Agar released pictures showing its Chairman Malik Agar participating with thousands of civilians in a sit-in in the rebel-held area of the Blue Nile state.
(ST)