Forces try to quell civil disobedience campaign

Sudanese police fired warning shots yesterday to disperse protesters building roadblocks in the capital, as part of a civil disobedience campaign against the ruling generals following a bloody crackdown that left dozens dead.

The campaign got underway nearly a week after the assault on demonstrators at a sit-in outside army headquarters, which followed talks breaking down between protest leaders and military rulers.

Following the call for civil disobedience, protesters set about building roadblocks in Khartoum while markets and shops were closed in several other towns and cities.

In the capital’s northern Bahari district, people gathered tyres, tree trunks and rocks to build new roadblocks.

“Almost all internal roads of Bahari have roadblocks. Protesters are even stopping residents from going to work,” a witness told AFP.

But riot police swiftly moved in, firing gunshots in the air and tear gas at demonstrators before clearing the makeshift barriers, he said.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, which first launched protests against longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in December, said the civil disobedience campaign would continue until the military rulers transfer power to a civilian government.

Khartoum residents have mostly remained indoors since Monday, when men in military fatigues raided the protest camp and killed dozens of people.

Residents in Khartoum have remained on edge since the raid on the sit-in, which killed at least 115 people according to doctors close to the demonstrators.