Thousands of Sudanese people took to the streets of the capital city Al-Khartoum on Saturday, protesting the decisions of Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the army commander, while the authorities responded by closing all bridges in the face of the protesters. In the meantime, western countries renewed their rejection of the unilateral measures of the military, and the United Nations demanded an immediate release of the detainees. A number of trade unions, political parties, and resistance committees had set Saturday as the date for the second parade to oppose "the coup" and call for the return of the civilian government and the removal of the military from the political scene "once and for all". For their part, the authorities closed all bridges linking the cities of Al-Khartoum and Omdurman with concrete barriers and barbed wire, and imposed security measures, and deployed heavily armed forces, while keeping three bridges open. The Sudanese forces closed the Africa Street parallel to Khartoum Airport at the "Lafet Al-Hareef" station and prevented crossing from there towards the downtown of Khartoum. They also deployed forces around government institutions and markets in central Khartoum. The demonstrations erupted against the unilateral decision of Al-Burhan announcing his presidency of a new Sovereignty Council, which includes military leaders and civilians from different regions of Sudan. In media statements, a spokesperson for the Sudanese Professionals Association described Al-Burhan's procedures as unconstitutional, stressing that the gathering will continue to escalate. On Friday, Al-Burhan swore in as a president of the council, Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti was also sworn in as vice-president of the council. Meanwhile, the Troika countries (the US, the UK, and Norway), the European Union, and Switzerland expressed concern over the unilateral maneuvers of Al-Burhan. They called, in a joint statement, for the return of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and his government to power. Three weeks ago, Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency in all governorates of the country, dissolving the Sovereignty Council and the cabinet. He also announced suspending some articles of the constitutional document.
