In support of burgeoning protests against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir’s oppressive government, some of the country’s journalists and doctors have gone on a strike.Since last week, people have gone to protest in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, and other major cities for economic demands and better livelihoods which they have been denied due to the government continuously exploiting its people. Protesters started the international online hashtag #مدن_السودان_تنتفض, which translates to “the cities of Sudan are rising.”

The government continues to fire live ammunition into angry crowds and have killed both adults and children. Amnesty International reports the death toll is over 30.

According to Al-Jazeera, the Sudanese Journalists’ Network stated, “We declare a three-day strike from December 27 to protest against the violence unleashed by the government against demonstrators.”

Long before the crackdown on protests, journalists have been harassed and assaulted over publications deemed offensive to the government by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). Many must censor their work to avoid confiscation and detainment.

Sudanese doctors and medical professionals have been on strike since Monday. University of Gadarif medical students left their campus and joined doctors at nearby hospitals by shouting anti-government chants. Officials responded by blocking off the hospital.

Al Jazeera’s Altaher al-Mardi reported, “The protest staged by Gadarif’s medical students and doctors is part of the wave of demonstrations that have continued throughout this week. The students and the doctors expressed their support for their fellow demonstrators and their condemnation of the government’s use of force against them.”