Sudan opposition divided over strike call

Sudan's main opposition group and supporter of the protest movement on Sunday rejected a call to stage a two-day general strike, in the first sign of a rift within the movement negotiating the launch of civilian rule.

Talks between leaders of the umbrella protest movement, the Alliance for Freedom and Change, and army generals who seized power after ousting President Omar al-Bashir last month are deadlocked over who should lead a new governing body -- a civilian or a member of the military.

In a bid to step up pressure on the generals, the protest movement has called for a general strike starting on Tuesday, but the National Umma Party, a key backer of the movement, has rejected the measure.

Minutes after Umma's statement, another key member of the protest movement, the Sudanese Congress Party, said the strike will go ahead as planned.

It said the strike was a new measure "to complete the mission of the revolution, which definitely will achieve its victory".

The military toppled Bashir after months-long protests across Sudan led by the Alliance for Freedom and Change against his iron-fisted rule over three decades.

But the generals who seized power have resisted calls from protesters and the international community for civilian rule.