 At least 42 pro-democracy protesters were injured in Sudan's Khartoum state in the crackdown on country-wide Antiku demonstrations. This took place on Monday, December 26, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese doctors. The mass demonstrations saw protesters calling for the overthrow of the military junta and the prosecution of its generals by a full civilian transitional government. These protests have been taking place since the coup on October 25, 2021. The protesters are also unhappy at the framework agreement between the military junta and a right-wing coalition of parties called the Forces of Freedom and Change or FFC. The agreement is said to be the first stage in forming a full civilian transitional government. However, the pro-democracy movement led by a network of 5,000 resistance committees have rejected the framework as yet another compromise with the military. The protesters have consistently raised the slogan, no negotiation, no compromise, no partnership, referring to the military. The spokesperson of the Sudanese Communist Party, which is playing a key role in the protests, said that the agreement is an attempt to give a civilian phase to military rule and thus legitimize it. The agreement promises a civilian prime minister and cabinet. However, the real levers of power will be with the Security and Defense Council. The fears of the protesters were strengthened when the military chief and coup leader General Abdul Fateh al-Burhan made it clear in a speech that no one would interfere in the affairs of the military. A week before the December 26 protests, nearly 500 people were injured on December 19, when security forces attacked demonstrators. The demonstrators marched on the 4th anniversary of the Sudanese Revolution. Security forces fired bullets, tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters, barely two kilometers away from the presidential palace. A protester from the city of Omdurman said that security forces fired hundreds and hundreds of stun grenades and tear gas at the protesters. He also said that many of the tear gas canisters were filled with stones and crushed glass which were exploding, sprayed shrapnel, injuring several at once. The Sudanese Revolution began in December 2018 and led to the overthrow of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The struggle continued against Bashir's inner circle of generals, who then formed the military junta. After protesters were massacred outside the army headquarters in Khartoum in June 2019, right-wing parties began negotiations with the military. They signed an agreement and formed a joint civilian military transitional government in August that year. Under this arrangement too, the prime minister and most of the cabinet ministers were civilians appointed by the FFC parties, as is being promised again in the new framework agreement. However, much of the economy remained in the hands of the army, which also controlled foreign policy and held sovereign power. The promise of bringing the perpetrators of the June 3 massacre to justice also could not be fulfilled by the FFC parties under this agreement. Critics fear that the new agreement would have a similar result. They also say that the current negotiations lack popular support and are going ahead, only due to the backing they are receiving from foreign powers. These powers include the US, the UK, the EU, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Sudanese Communist Party and other progressive forces have called for the unification of the resistance. They plan to frame a common charter to build a civil democratic authority. Protests are expected to continue in the coming weeks as well against the negotiation process and the compromise with the military junta.