By John Ikani
People in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, have shuttered shops and barricaded streets in response to a call for two days of civil disobedience.
The disobedience call was made by Forces for Freedom and Change, an influencial civilian bloc, on Tuesday, hours after seven pro-democracy protesters were killed by security forces on Monday.
“Shop closed for mourning”, said a series of small signs posted on the closed outlets at the sprawling Sajane construction supplies market in Khartoum.
Security forces on Monday opened fire killing at least seven people, as thousands marched against the army’s October 25 takeover. One of the merchants, Othman el-Sherif, was among those shot dead.
Asides shops, educational institutions have closed in the country with Sudan’s University for Science and Technology noting that it had suspended all activities.
More than 70 people have been killed since demonstrations began after October’s coup.
After Monday’s deaths the UN and the US embassy criticised the violent tactics of the Sudanese security forces.
The police said 50 officers were injured.
Protesters — sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands — have regularly taken to the streets since the coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan nearly three months ago.
The military power grab derailed a fragile transition to civilian rule following the April 2019 ouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, with prime minister Abdalla Hamdok resigning earlier this month warning Sudan was at a “dangerous crossroads threatening its very survival”.
