Sudan opposition agrees to direct talks with military council
Sudan's main opposition alliance has agreed to hold direct talks with the ruling military council after a call from African Union and Ethiopian mediators to resume the stalled negotiations.
"The Alliance for Freedom and Change met and decided to accept the invitation for direct negotiations" with the ruling generals, prominent protest leader Madani Abbas Madani said on Wednesday.
The protest leaders said the talks over a new governing body should last three days.
“The negotiations should only be about the presidency of the sovereign council and that the time frame for the negotiations should be 72 hours," Madani told reporters.
The group also demanded the release of political detainees.
The ruling military council has yet to respond to the call for the resumption of the talks.
The Sudanese military overthrew 75-year-old president Omar al-Bashir after some four months of widespread protests against him over dire economic conditions and the soaring prices of basic commodities on April 11. Following Bashir’s ouster, the coup leaders established the so-called Transitional Military Council (TMC), presumably to run state affairs in the post-Bashir era. But the generals also moved to consolidate power and faced popular protests themselves.
Protesters have kept up demonstrations pressing the military to hand over power to a civilian government.
Talks between the umbrella protest movement and the TMC collapsed in May over the composition of a new governing body and whether it should have a civilian or military majority.
The African Union and Ethiopia have mediated between the two sides after tensions soared following the June 3 crackdown on a protest camp in Khartoum that killed tens of demonstrators.
UN chief says attacks against civilians in Sudan could constitute ‘war crimes’
Aid groups warn of looming famine in Sudan
El-Fasher clashes raise concerns of expanding conflict in Sudan’s Darfur
VIDEO | Iranians hold nationwide demos in support of IRGC
Syria condemns US veto of Palestine UN membership resolution
Iraqi resistance forces hit Israeli Ovda air base
Hackers break into Israeli military’s computers, access trove of documents
Tulkarm Brigade commander killed by Israeli forces in raid on refugee camp
Zionist media desperately trying to turn Israeli defeat into victory: Iran
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Iran censures US veto of Palestinian request for full UN membership
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
