By RFIPosted 29-05-2019Modified on 29-05-2019 at 15:05

Several sectors of the economy are still idling Wednesday, May 29 in Sudan, in this second day of general strike at the call of the Alliance for Freedom and Change. It has been more than a month and a half now that the head of state has been deposed, and for the civil opposition, this 48-hour general strike is a means of pressure. One way to tip the scales in the power-sharing negotiations with the military. The stoppage of work was generally approved by the population, even if everyone did not follow the slogan.

It is difficult to draw a statistical assessment of the strike. No one provides figures on participation, although the opposition believes that the appeal has been widely followed. This has been seen in some sectors, such as banks, hospitals, port agents, airports.

But others have mobilized less, such as transport or traders. These are often trades paid by the day. Several days of strikes would be too much to bear financially. The city is functioning normally, even if we see closed companies or employees demonstrating in front of their company.

Now the ball is in the military camp. Will they make concessions in managing the transition and balancing power? Not sure. On the evening of Tuesday, May 28, Hemeti, number 2 of the putschists , declared that the soldiers were part of the revolution and that without them, Omar al-Bashir would not have fallen, proof of a certain intransigence.

The calm remains despite a palpable tension

So far, the day has been calm, although violence could occur quickly. An altercation also broke out at midday Wednesday, between civilians and military, during a rather confusing sequence.

Soldiers fired, a lady was killed by a stray bullet, several people were injured, a soldier was lynched. Then the tension is immediately dropped. On Tuesday, there were also some small outbreaks of fever at the Central Bank and the headquarters of the electricity company. We have seen employees mistreated and sometimes briefly arrested.

The RPF, the troops of Hemeti, are very visible in the city during this strike, which takes place in relative calm.

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