Sudan to lift emergency state on July 9

KHARTOUM, Jun 30, 2005 (Xinhua) — Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir announced Thursday that the state of emergency imposed in 1999 will be lifted on July 9.

Bashir made the announcement while addressing a massive gathering on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the National Salvation Revolution.

The emergency state will be lifted in Sudan except for three unsettled areas of Darfur, Kassala and the Red Sea states, he said.

Bashir pointed out that Sudan will enter the interim period as of July 9 by signing the transitional constitution and members of the presidential council will be sworn in on the same day.

Sudan on Thursday lifted a ban on the opposition Popular Congress party and released its prominent leader Hassan Turabi who had been under detention for 15 months and a number of other political detainees.

Bashir said the government will release all political detainees before July 9.

The Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed the southern Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on Jan. 9 in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, which stipulated that a six-year interim period will start from July following a six-month period during which the transitional constitution is formulated.