Cape Town — In an interview with Al Jazeera, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that he would not participate in any government that comes after a transitional period and denied that the army was responsible for the deaths of protesters rallying against the military takeover.

"It is our pledge – a pledge we made to ourselves, the Sudanese people and the international community – that we are committed to completing the democratic transition, holding elections on time, and committed to not stopping any political activity as long as it is peaceful, and within the bounds of the constitutional declaration and the parts that have not been suspended. We are committed to handing over power to a civilian government of national competency and we pledge to preserve the transition from any interference that can hinder it," al-Burhan told Al Jazeera.

The interview was broadcast as anti-coup rallies continued in the capital, Khartoum, and several other towns, increasing pressure against the military amid the continuing political crisis. They were demanding the military government step back and allow a peaceful transition to civilian rule.

At least 100 teachers have been arrested in Sudan in two days of civil disobedience and strikes in protest at last month's military coup. The army fired tear gas at several anti-coup rallies. A teachers' union said security forces had used teargas against its members outside the education ministry building for Khartoum state, where 87 were arrested and many were beaten. There were no reports of casualties.

October's coup halted a power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilians that had been agreed upon after Omar al-Bashir's overthrow in 2019 and was meant to lead to democratic elections by late 2023. Top civilians including several ministers were detained, and the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, was placed under house arrest.

Since the coup, mediation efforts involving the UN have sought the release of detainees and a return to power-sharing, but sources from the ousted government say those efforts have stalled, reports Reuters.  Al-Burhan also ordered the release of four civilian ministers who were detained.