Thousands of Sudanese demonstrators marched Friday in front of the army's general headquarters in Khartoum, following a march attended by thousands of protesters, with the aim of increasing pressure on the military junta to hand over power to a civilian administration.
Since April 6, protesters have gathered day and night in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum. After demanding the departure of former President Omar al-Bashir, they have since April 11 demanded the transfer of power to a civilian government, and to keep the military away from power.
Despite international support for the protesters, the military junta has yet to respond to the demands, despite the resignation of three of its members Wednesday, under pressure from the street.
Their resignations raised the joy of the demonstrators, who launched the revolutionary songs and rallied tens of thousands, yesterday, at the invitation of their leaders, to a "million-million march".
Despite the extreme heat, the demonstrators returned in large numbers, yesterday, according to the correspondent «AFP».
Sheikh Matar Yunus, who delivered Friday prayers in the courtyard of the sit-in, chanted "freedom, freedom". He also called for punishing the "symbols" of the former regime. "All the symbols of the former regime must be held accountable, and they should be brought to fair, fair and transparent trials," he said, as demonstrators chanted "Blood with blood will not accept compensation."
Haroun Adam, from Darfur, said his family lives in Kalma camp, one of the vast camps that still house hundreds of thousands of people forced to leave their homes following a 2003 conflict when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the central government in Khartoum. They accused it of marginalizing the region.
"I have been here since 6 April when the sit-in started," Adam told AFP. "He is ready to stay a full year until we meet our demands for full civil authority and bring all those who have committed crimes to justice," he said. Behind him were the demonstrators chanting "We are all Darfur."
The leaders of the demonstrators conducted rounds of talks with the Council, and the two sides agreed to form a joint committee to set up a road map without achieving a negligible result. In a press conference, the Sudanese Professionals' Union stressed that it would not relinquish the demands of the popular revolution and that the Transitional Military Council was insisting on its sovereign powers, which the group rejected. The military council also stressed that it would not force the sit-in by force before the army's general command.
On the other hand, the Transitional Council stressed that it is in constant contact with the forces of freedom and change, and denied reports of the release of a number of symbols of the former regime.