A one-day strike shuttered businesses and emptied streets in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other parts of the country yesterday, activists said, as pressure mounted on longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down following more than two months of deadly protests.
Initially sparked by rising prices and shortages, the unrest quickly turned to calls for al-Bashir to resign after two decades in power. A heavy security crackdown has killed scores since the current wave of demonstrations began in December, the most serious protests against al-Bashir.
Many students, doctors, markets, public transportation and other professionals took part in the strike yesterday in support of al-Bashir’s ouster, according to photos and videos provided by activists and posted by the Sudanese Professionals Association. The association is an umbrella group of independent professional unions that has been spearheading the recent wave of protests.
Sarah Abdel-Jaleel, a spokeswoman for the group, said thousands joined the strike. “The response was satisfactory. It is a positive step toward civil disobedience to force the regime to step down,” she said.
In a video posted late Monday, Abdel-Jaleel said the strike is part of a “peaceful resistance” against the government Media workers at the privately owned newspaper al-Tayar joined the strike. “We’ve faced daily abuses since protests first broke out,” said Shamayel el-Nour, a journalist. “We cannot do our work. Security agencies censor and confiscate our newspaper and others.” The opposition Sudanese Congress Party said its leader, Omer el-Digair, was released Monday after two months in detention. El-Digair tweeted yesterday that he would “resume the path with our people … to freedom.