SUDANESE communists have called for the masses to defend the revolution after thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Khartoum on Thursday.

Security forces opened fire with tear gas as protesters burned tyres and waved flags during a sit-in outside the parliament building in the Sudanese capital.

They expressed anger at a  lack of progress by the interim military-civilian government, accusing the armed forces of clinging to power amid a deepening economic crisis.

“The conflict in our country has become clear,” the Sudanese Communist Party said. “A struggle between the forces of the revolution, determined to complete the tasks of the revolution … and the internal and external forces hostile to the people’s revolution.”

The communists said that the government had clearly “underestimated the revolution” and that millions of people had responded to the call to build a free and democratic country.

They urged the masses to continue to press their demands for civilian rule and an economic programme for recovery free from the clutches of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, plus the abolition of all agreements with Israel.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has come under fire over his economic programme and for holding up the transition to civilian rule, amid divisions in the coalition government.

He took office in August 2019 after a mass movement ousted former dictator Omar al-Bashir after 30 years in power.

But support for Mr Hamdok’s government has ebbed away in recent months as fuel subsidies have been slashed and the prices of bread and basic goods have risen.

Protesters are demanding that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan “gives up power,” while supporters of the military have urged him to seize control of the country.

Last month, an attempted coup by a group of military officials was foiled by the Sudanese authorities, but the situation remains volatile.