Sudanese General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a military coup of the country in October 2021, announced that the military will withdraw from negotiations meant to form a civilian-led transitional government. The move is designed “to make room for political and revolutionary forces and other national factions” to form a civilian government, the general said. General elections are scheduled for July 2023.
Burhan also promised to dissolve his Transitional Sovereign Council, which has governed the country since the military coup, after a new transitional government is formed. He did not say when the military will pull out of the negotiations or who would replace them in the talks.
The announcement on Monday on state television comes after five days of pro-democracy protests by tens of thousands of protesters in the capital Khartoum calling for an end to military rule, in which nine protesters were killed and at least 629 injured by military forces. Some 113 people, including 18 children, have been killed in ongoing civilian protests.