Sudan opposition rejects military's transition plan

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Sudan's opposition on Tuesday rejected a plan by its military rulers to hold elections within nine months, a day after the worst bout of violence since President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in April.

At least 35 people were killed on Monday when security forces stormed a protest camp outside the Defense Ministry in central Khartoum, said doctors linked to the opposition.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) that has ruled since Bashir's ousting canceled all agreements reached during talks with the main opposition alliance on setting up a transitional administration. The sides had agreed on forming a parliament and a government that would prepare for elections after three years.

Madani Abbas Madani, a leader of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) opposition alliance, said an open-ended civil disobedience campaign would continue to try to force the council from power.

Omar al-Degair, a prominent DFCF leader, said the two sides were close to reaching a final agreement that had been proposed by the TMC. It would have seen a 50-50 split on a sovereign council and a rotational presidency, he said.

Sudanese protesters use burning tires to erect a barricade on the street, demanding that the country's Transitional Military Council hand over power to civilians, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 3, 2019. /Reuters Photo

"DFCF agreed with a large majority to this agreement presented by the TMC and we were meant to hold an expanded meeting last night to reach a final agreement," Degair said.

The council has decided to cancel all agreements with the protest groups and called for elections within nine months under regional and international supervision, he said.

Sudan has been rocked by unrest since December, when anger over rising bread prices and cash shortages broke into sustained protests that culminated in the armed forces removing Bashir after three decades in office.

But talks between the TMC and DFCF ground to a halt amid deep differences over who would lead a transition to democracy that both sides had agreed would last for three years. Protest leaders have demanded proper preparations for elections during a transitional period led by a civilian administration.

UN calls for negotiations

The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Sudan after Khartoum's military rulers announced plans to hold elections following escalated tension in Khartoum, with many roads barricaded by protesters, shops shut and streets mostly empty. Security forces were trying to clear the barricades.

Sudanese protesters erect a barricade on the street in Khartoum, Sudan, June 3, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Germany and Britain requested the urgent talks amid international alarm over the violence in Khartoum where security forces broke up weeks of protests against military rule.

"We need urgently a return to the negotiating table," said German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen ahead of the meeting. "Legitimacy cannot come from the barrel of a gun."

Negotiations between the military rulers and protest leaders broke down over disagreements on whether a planned transitional body would be headed by a civilian or a military figure.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the use of excessive force by Sudan's security agents and said he was "alarmed" by reports that forces had opened fire inside a hospital, calling for negotiations to resume on a peaceful transfer of power to a civilian-led authority.

(Cover: Sudanese protesters chant slogans along a street, demanding that the country's Transitional Military Council hand over power to civilians in Khartoum, Sudan, June 3, 2019. /Reuters Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters