By Agencies
Khartoum: The Sudanese military has met with protesters who spearheaded the overthrow of former president Omar El-Bashir, to discuss how to transfer power to a civilian government.
The ruling Military Council, led by Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdulrahman Bruhan, said in a statement before Wednesday’s meeting that it was willing to discuss proposals from the coalition of groups behind the protests for an immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government. “We agreed to form a joint committee, between us and them, to discuss these points of succession and to introduce a joint solution with the military council and the Alliance of Freedom and Change,” said Lieutenant General Shamseldin Kibashi, the Sudanese military council spokesman.
This comes a few weeks after protesters under the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and its allies, who organised the four months of demonstrations that drove al-Bashir from power on April 11, gave the military council an ultimatum to hand over power or risk the wrath of the people. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) accepted the invitation and met the council, where they discussed matters, some of which are still confidential. “We agreed to this meeting based on their positive position in the statement prior to the invitation to the Alliance of Freedom and Change. And honestly, it was started in a beautiful spirit,” said SPA spokesman Ahmed Rabie.
The military council later said three of its members resigned on Wednesday amid heightened tensions with the protest organisers. The council said in a statement that Lieutenant General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh, Police Lieutenant General al-Tayeb Babakr and Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abideen had stepped down from their posts. The opposition has repeatedly called for their dismissal, describing them as representing the old regime of removed al-Bashir in the new government. The nation now awaits announcement of the civilian leaders that will be agreed upon between the military council and the Sudanese Professionals Association.
