Sudanese army steps back for civilian govt

KHARTOUM/CAIRO－General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, said on Monday that the army would not participate in internationally led talks to break its stalemate with the civilian opposition, and urged political and revolutionary groups to start discussions to form a transitional government.

In a televised address to the nation, Burhan pledged to dissolve the sovereign council after the formation of a new government, noting that a supreme council of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces will be established to command the regular forces.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis since Burhan, also the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, declared a state of emergency on Oct 25, 2021, and dissolved the sovereign council and the government. The West has cut its aid to the impoverished northeast African country.

Since then, the capital Khartoum and other cities have been witnessing continued protests.

After the military takeover, the UN political mission in Sudan, the African Union and the eight-nation East African regional Intergovernmental Authority in Development group have been trying to broker a way out of the political impasse. But talks have yielded no results so far. Some groups have repeatedly said they will not negotiate with the military, and have called for them to immediately hand the reins to a civilian government.

Burhan said on Monday that the army's decision not to participate in talks was to allow political and revolutionary groups to form a government. Since the coup, most civilian groups have refused to negotiate with the military, which has led to the current stalemate.

He called on civilian groups to start a serious dialogue to bring the country back to a democratic transition. The military will be committed to implementing the outcomes of the dialogue, he said.

Agencies - Xinhua