Share

Sudan's army, protesters strike some deals in negotiations

Share

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s ruling generals and opposition leaders behind the protests that drove President Omar al-Bashir from power last month said Wednesday they have made significant progress in negotiations and have agreed on the length of the country’s transition period.

The two sides, which have been at odds over the transfer of power to civilian rule and the extent of the military’s role in it, said the transition would last three years.

The military ousted al-Bashir on April 11, after nearly four months of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

But the demonstrators remained on the streets, demanding the military hand over power to civilian rule and have since been holding negotiations with the military council.

Activists said clashes flared up Wednesday between protesters and forces from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces who attempted to remove barricades in a main street in Khartoum.

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

The Sudanese Professionals Association said the RFS used batons and whips to disperse protesters. It said at least nine people were wounded.

The Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of SPA, said Wednesday night that at least 14 people, all of them young people, were wounded in the clashes, including seven from gunshots.

Ahmed Rabie, a spokesman for the SPA, told AP that talks were suspended late Wednesday by the military council. He said the council has called for the removal of barricades and opening of the roads in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

The agreement announced Wednesday marks a significant step toward resolving the standoff between the military and the protesters and could help the Sudanese return to some sort of normalcy.

In a joint press conference Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Yasser al-Atta, a member of the military council, said the two sides agreed to a three-year transition period. The priority for the first six months will be to get the various armed rebel groups across the country to agree to peace talks, he said.

The protesters are represented by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of opposition groups led by the Sudanese Professionals Association, a union umbrella that has spearheaded the protests against al-Bashir since December.

Al-Atta said the two sides also agreed on the makeup of a 300-member, all-civilian transitional legislative body. He said two thirds of this interim parliament will be made up of representatives of the protesters while the remaining third will be made up of parties that were not part of al-Bashir’s regime.

What’s now left on the negotiating table is the makeup of the sovereign council, a deal al-Atta said he hoped would be reached by the next day.

“Within less than 24 hours, there will be a complete deal, and the Sudanese people will celebrate of achieving the goals of their peaceful revolution,” he said.

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

The negotiations were disrupted by clashes with protesters on Monday that killed at least five people, including an army officer, and wounded more than 200. The violence erupted when some security forces, apparently loyal to al-Bashir, attacked the protesters’ sit-ins overnight, including the one in Khartoum outside the military headquarters.

Madani Abbas, a negotiator for the protesters, said the military council would investigate the attacks.

For his part, al-Bashir remains jailed in Khartoum and was charged this week with involvement in the killing of protesters and incitement to kill protesters during the uprising against his rule.

The military has said it would not extradite him to The Hague, where the International Criminal Court has charged him with war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation