Khartoum, June 1: Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters have on Friday vowed to continue sit-in demonstration in the capital Khartoum, a day after the country’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) stated the sit-ins outside the military headquarters poses threat to the security and safety of Sudanese citizens and cautioned against action that would be taken against “unruly elements”.
According to Al-Jazeera news reports, Sudanese TMC has posted a video over its official Facebook page yesterday showing young men trying to vandalize military vehicle, alleging it was taken during the sit-in.
Earlier, it has posted another video apparently showing young men throwing rocks on moving vehicles near demonstrating site. The caption read: “Chaos in the heart of the capital. We will put an end to the chaos, God willing.”
But however, protesters said the army was using the threat as a potential pretext to break the sit-in as protesters seek the TMC general hand power over to a civilian transitional council.
“I think we should be here every day,” said Eismat Ali, 47, a factory worker in Omdurman. “I try to come here every Thursday night. I can’t afford to be here every day because of my job. This should be our real job, so we don’t let the TMC steal our revolution.”
“I think the TMC is acting like this because it’s afraid of accountability. If a civilian government came to power, they might be held to account,” Hafiz Ismail, director of Khartoum NGO Justice Africa Sudan said.
Amjad Farid, a spokesman for the protest movement, said: “What the TMC said Thursday night is an attempt to quell the sit-in, but we will never give up our peaceful protest.”