Sudan's military blames protest leaders for escalation

In this frame grab from video, people wait in line for bread outside a bakery in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, June 9, 2019. The first day of the workweek in Sudan saw shops closed and streets empty as part of a general strike called by protest leaders who are demanding the resignation of the ruling military council. The Sudanese Professionals Association had urged people to stay home to protest a deadly crackdown last week, when security forces violently dispersed the group’s main sit-in camp outside the military headquarters in the capital of Khartoum. (AP Photo)

In this frame grab from video, people wait in line for gasoline, in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, June 9, 2019. The first day of the workweek in Sudan saw shops closed and streets empty as part of a general strike called by protest leaders who are demanding the resignation of the ruling military council. The Sudanese Professionals Association had urged people to stay home to protest a deadly crackdown last week, when security forces violently dispersed the group’s main sit-in camp outside the military headquarters in the capital of Khartoum. (AP Photo)

Sudan's ruling military blames the protest movement for an escalation as the second day of the opposition's general strike kicks in.

The protesters have been trying to pressure the army to hand over power to civilian rule following the April ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Lt. Gen. Jamaleddine Omar, from the ruling military council, says that by closing of roads and setting up barricades, the protesters committed a crime.

He says the military and the Rapid Support Forces have beefed up their presence across the country "to restore life back to normal."

The protest leaders on Monday urged the Sudanese to continue the general strike, part of a civil disobedience campaign to press the military.

Last week, troops broke up opposition sit-ins. More than a 100 people were killed.