Adam Moro
05 June 2019•Update: 06 June 2019
KHARTOUM
Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC), has announced the council’s readiness “to turn a new page” with the opposition after 60 protesters were killed in Khartoum on Tuesday in clashes with security forces.
Al-Burhan made the assertion in a televised address delivered one day after the TMC suspended talks with the opposition-led Freedom and Change coalition and announced the formation of a “transitional government” tasked with overseeing elections slated for early next year.
Talks between the TMC and the opposition coalition were suspended Tuesday after the latter rejected the new interim government and the TMC’s proposed electoral timeline.
The breakdown in negotiations also coincided with deadly clashes that erupted when security forces forcibly dispersed an ongoing sit-in outside army headquarters in Khartoum.
According to the pro-opposition Sudanese Central Doctors Committee, at least 60 demonstrators were killed in the clashes and hundreds more injured.
In his Wednesday address, al-Burhan called for “wisdom” with a view to “overcoming the current difficult circumstances and preventing the country from sliding into chaos”.
“All parties,” he said, “must make sacrifices for the sake of the homeland and not for any other agenda.”
Recent days, he went on, “have witnessed unfortunate events related to security threats, which have led to a number of deaths”.
“We regret what happened and have sympathy for the martyrs,” al-Burhan said, adding that investigations would be opened into the deadly events.
He concluded by stressing the TMC’s desire to “open a new page” with the opposition -- including a fresh round of talks “without preconditions” -- in hopes of “preventing any repeat of past mistakes”.
The Freedom and Change coalition, however, answered al-Burhan’s appeal by renewing calls for a campaign of “total civil disobedience and open political strike”.
Sudan has remained in turmoil since April 11, when the military establishment announced the “removal” of President Omar al-Bashir after months of popular protests against his 30-year rule.
The MTC is now overseeing a two-year “transitional period” during which it has pledged to hold free presidential elections.
Demonstrators, however, have remained on the streets to demand that the military council relinquish power -- at the earliest possible date -- to a civilian authority.
