Sudanese protesters responded to the demand of the leaders of the "Declaration of Freedom and Change" by lifting the barricades and roadblocks off the main roads in Khartoum and staging a sit-in in front of the army leadership. They also called for new rallies towards the sit-in, with the aim of exerting more pressure on the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to civilians.
The demonstrators had expanded the sit-in to new areas, following the use of fire by armed forces, which led to the killing of four protesters and the injury of more than a hundred.
The head of the TMC, Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, suspended negotiations with the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change for 72 hours, after troops wearing military uniforms used fire for the second time in two days. He said negotiations would be re-launched only after removing barricades outside the area of the sit-in, and ending what he described as a provocation of the military.
In a statement broadcast on state television, Burhan accused informants of shooting at the protesters and acquitted the army forces, praising their efforts in supporting the revolution.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Professionals Gathering is planning to launch new protest rallies, starting from Khartoum and heading to the sit-in to emphasize the demand of handing over power to civilians.
The opposition alliance had blamed the military rulers on Tuesday for renewed street violence complicating efforts to negotiate a handover of power to civilians after last month’s overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir.
