Protesters Call Sudanese Military’s 72-Hour Suspension of Talks ‘Regrettable’

Sudan’s protest movement on Thursday called the move by the country’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) to suspend talks for 72 hours a “regrettable decision.” The TMC suspended talks on Wednesday after demonstrators broke a deal on de-escalation, the council’s head, Lt.-Gen. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said in a televised statement after at least nine people were wounded when Sudanese forces used live ammunition to clear out protesters. It was the first bout of violence since Monday, when four people – three protesters and a police officer – were killed as security forces tried to clear several protest sites. The council head added that the TMC had decided to remove all barricades placed by protesters beyond a designated sit-in zone outside the military headquarters in Khartoum. The opposition alliance, the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF), vowed to continue the sit-ins, which they began on April 6 and precipitated the ouster of president Omar Al-Bashir’s 30-year rule on April 11.