Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and opposition forces appeared on a collision course yesterday amid deepening differences over demands for civilian rule more than 10 days after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.
The TMC warned yesterday against people blocking roads and limiting the movement of citizens, signaling a possible move against thousands of protesters who are camping outside the Defense Ministry and blocking some roads outside the compound in downtown Khartoum.
The council also said it was unacceptable that some young people were acting as police and security services, in violation of the law, a reference to youths who have been searching protesters taking part at the sit-in.
“We request the honorable citizens to help clear these negative features that impact the lives of citizens and the security of the country,” the TMC said in a statement, adding that roads and access ways for public transportation would “be opened immediately”. The TMC and the opposition have traded threats since Sunday.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said on Sunday they had agreed to send Sudan $3 billion worth of aid, throwing a lifeline to the country’s new military leaders. The two Gulf Arab countries will deposit $500 million with the Sudanese central bank and send the rest in the form of food, medicine and petroleum products, their state news agencies said in parallel statements.
The Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), the main organizer of the protests, said on Sunday it would suspend talks with the Council. “We have decided to opt for escalation with the military council, not to recognize its legitimacy and to continue the sit-in and escalate the protests on the streets,” Mohamed al-Amin Abdel-Aziz of the SPA told crowds outside the Defense Ministry on Sunday.
The military council, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has issued a series of decisions that appeared aimed at satisfying some of the demands.