Sudan’s opposition groups to announce plans for talks over power transfer
May 10, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan opposition Freedom and Changes forces are expected to hold a press conference Saturday to announce their plans for talks on power transfer with the military council.
For more than a week, the military council and the Sudanese opposition opted for press conferences to communicate with each other over a draft constitutional document made by the freedom and change forces for the transitional period.
The reservations made by the military council over the omission of Islamic legislation in the document recalled the opposition that their interlocutors are still inspired by the Islamists elements who advise them and that they are not true partners for democratic transition as they claim.
Accordingly, they decided to rethink their strategy and close ranks before to confront the military council in a new round of talks.
Different opposition sources confirmed to Sudan Tribune the ongoing opposition meetings saying they discuss among others the set up of a leadership council and a strategy to bring the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to civilians.
Several opposition leaders spoke during the past days about the readiness to escalate pressures through protests, civil disobedience and the general strike.
However, several voices within the opposition speak about the need to keep discussions with the military pointing that negotiations are the best way to discredit them and expose their plans to the international community.
The African Union backed by the European Union and the United States gave Khartoum two months to transfer power to civilians before to suspend Sudan’s membership and eventually recommend targeted sanctions to the UN Security Council against the military.
On 13 April, the TMC head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said they want to keep powers for a two-year transitional period before to hand over power to an elected government. They also said that during the transitional period the country will be managed by a government of technocrats. they will appoint.
The Freedom and Change forces have a different roadmap providing they need a 4-year transitional period to achieve peace and lay down solid foundations for democracy in Sudan. Also, they say they want the government to retain power, not the sovereignty council as the military project for.
(ST)