Sudan protesters begin 2-day strike to press ruling military

FILE - In this April 30, 2019 file photo, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, second right, speaks at a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan. Sudan's ruling military council is meeting with protesters on Sunday, May19, 2019, to discuss the country's political transition after talks were halted for three days while roads were cleared outside the main sit-in in the capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo)

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan's protest leaders have launched a two-day general strike to press the ruling military to hand over power to a civilian-led authority.

Wajdi Saleh, a negotiator for the protesters, says they resorted to holding the strike after negotiations with the military council became deadlocked over the makeup and leadership of a sovereign council that would run the country in a three-year transition period.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, which spearheaded the protests that led the army to oust President Omar al-Bashir last month, urged people to show up at work on Tuesday and Wednesday but abstain from any activity.

After the military ousted al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years, army generals took over the country. But the protesters remained in the streets, demanding the military hand over power.