Burhan pledges to release Sudan’s FFC detainees within three days
April 15, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan pledged on Friday to release political detainees within three days to enable them to participate in an intra-Sudanese dialogue facilitated by international tripartite mediation.
The African Union representative to Sudan said on April 12, that the Sudanese would hear soon good news, after a meeting of the UNITAMS head, the African Union and the IGAD envoys with Gen Abel Fattah al-Burhan.
During the meeting, the three facilitators renewed their call for confidence-building measures to create a conducive environment before a dialogue process they prepare to launch within their efforts to restore a civilian-led transition in Sudan.
The requested measures include the release of political detainees, an end to violence against demonstrators, and the lifting of the state of emergency.
In remarks delivered in his speech at a Ramadan Iftar party at the home of Sovereign Council member Lt-Gen Yasir al-Atta, al-Burhan said that they are working to prepare a suitable atmosphere for dialogue.
He revealed he held a meeting with the attorney general and the head of the judiciary to study the legal status of the detainees from the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the Resistance Committees and the Empowerment Removal Committee (ERC) and expedite their procedures.
“In two or three days, they’ll be outside to contribute with others (in the dialogue),” he stressed.
Further, he said he directed the competent authorities s to review the state of emergency and to keep some provisions related to the economic situation, to help create a suitable atmosphere in the country.
Since last February, the security forces have arrested 18 FFC leaders ERC members, claiming that they embezzled confiscated funds. Also, they arrested a large number of the resistance committees members, while some 21 political activists went missing after their participation in anti-coup protests.
The peace partner Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SFR) led by Hadi Idris, a few hours after al-Burhan’s statement, welcomed his pledge to implement confidence-building measures.
The SRF further said that al-Burhan positive response to their initiative and request to create a conducive environment constitutes “goodwill and a serious gesture” to start a dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political settlement.
Al-Burhan welcomed the agreement of political forces on a number of programmes to overcome the current crisis and complete the democratic transition in the country.
“We hear about the unity of the revolutionary forces, and we are happy with that because that will speed up consensus.”
He further said they are ready to hand over power once the political forces reach an agreement.
“In the event of a political agreement, we are ready to sit in the place they determine for us. And we will tell them to move forward as long as you agree,” he stressed.
He pointed out that the current crisis the country is going through requires concessions from all parties.
In a press conference held on Thursday, the FFC renewed their demand for the release of detainees, an end to violence against demonstrators and the removal of the state of emergency.
The co-signatories of the constitutional declaration of 2019 stressed that they will not participate in any political process without these three confidence-building measures.