Tensions ran high in Sudan on Tuesday, hours after the Transitional Military Council (TMC) called for general elections in an attempt to appease protesters.
General elections would be held within seven months with regional and international supervision, the TMC said on Twitter, a day after security forces killed at least 35 peaceful protesters in a violent crackdown.
The council also promised to task national prosecutors with investigating Monday’s violence, saying it “regrets” the attack on peaceful demonstrators, who were demanding a civilian-led government in front of military headquarters in the capital Khartoum.
Opposition groups did not comment on the election proposal on Tuesday.
But the Sudan Professionals Association (SPA), a key force behind the protests, accused the TMC of “lying in all its statements, meetings and negotiating sessions” up until now.
SPA therefore encouraged protesters to “continue the struggle.”
Using “excessive violence” to break up the sit-in was a sign that the TMC was not interested in the demands of the Sudanese public,and of establishing a democracy, the SPA said on Twitter.
On Tuesday, protesters cautiously took again to the streets in the capital, demanding a withdrawal of the TMC, local resident Faisal Ali said.
Protesters blocked several streets in Khartoum, despite the heavy presence of the security forces that tried to break up fresh protests and made several arrests, according to Ali.
The attack caused an international outcry, drawing strong criticism from the United Nations, European Union, African Union and other observers.
The TMC, which has been in power since it ousted long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir, denies it ordered an attack on the protesters.
Soldiers had merely targeted an area next to the sit-in, which had been affecting security, and “overstepped the borders of planning,” the TMC said.
Al-Bashir was deposed and arrested in a peaceful military coup in April that followed months of anti-government protests.
But protesters say the new military rulers are a continuation of al-Bashir’s former regime and vow to continue their sit-in.
