Sudan's ruling military council's call for an election, after garnering international condemnation, has been rejected by opposition forces who are continuing their own call for three years of civilian-led authority.

"What happened [on Monday] — the killing and injuring of protesters, the humiliation — was a systematic and planned attempt to impose repression on the Sudanese people," said Madani Abbas Madani, one of the leaders of the opposition Freedom and Change, to Reuters.

With the dispute on how to move forward lingering, outside groups are concerned the fight will leave civilians in the crossfire.

“Civilians are being targeted, killed, and raped, as government operations try to root out rebels in Yei River state,” said Jehanne Henry, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “All parties need to put a stop to the crimes against civilians and ensure accountability, while the government should help people regain their homes and livelihoods.”

Onlookers of the protests say it could lead to an increase in tension, and potentially, war.

"There are clear parallels to some of the Arab Spring protests that eventually progressed to full-blown insurgencies, including Syria, where indiscriminate shelling of civilians by the military initially galvanized protest movements that helped launch a broader uprising," said the security and intelligence think tank, The Soufan Group, in an analysis. "There is a real risk the situation could spiral into full-blown civil war, which would significantly affect the region, with spillover violence impacting the ongoing conflict in Libya."