SUDANESE communists pledged to press forward with the revolutionary demands of the people today following a stormy meeting with the military junta who are trying desperately to cling on to power.

The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) continued to demand the dismantling of the Military Transitional Council (MTC), which plans to rule for at least two years, and for the immediate transfer of power to the legitimate representatives of the people.

Talks between the MTC and representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Democratic Change collapsed on Sunday with the opposition warning of attempts to keep elements of the old regime in power.

The military demanded an end to the protests and dismantling of road blocks, but the SCP said today that the demonstrations would continue until the demands of the people are met.

Protests started in December over the tripling of the price of bread but soon grew into a broader movement calling for the resignation of Mr Bashir. 

Led by the Sudanese Professionals Association — an umbrella group of trade unions, lawyers and doctors associations and opposition parties including the SCP — the movement faced mass oppression and arrests with scores killed in clashes with the Sudanese security services.

Mr Bashir finally stepped down last month and the MTC took power. 

A party official told the Star: “This revolution is not the product of the work of these last four months, but the culmination of struggles that have continued since the morning of the coup of the ill-fated Muslim Brotherhood regime on June 30 1989.

“Since January 2018 our party has decided that the mass movement is ready to move on to the attack position. The uprising was violently suppressed but gave the masses confidence in itself.”

They made it clear that the MTC must dismiss three of its members, who until the April 6 were defending Mr Bashir and were involved in the use of excessive force against the protesters.

The three are Galal Aldien Alshiekh, former deputy head of the National Intelligence Security Service, former police chief Altayeb Babkir and Omar Alzein who was responsible for the Islamic Front organisation in the armed forces.

It stressed that the presence of such individuals proves the MTC is unwilling and unable to transfer power.

Spokesman Mohamed al-Amin said they no longer recognise military rule, adding that a civilian administration would be unveiled in the next couple of days.