Mariam al-Mahdi, deputy chief of the main opposition Umma Party, told that the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change were meeting with the military council in the capital, Khartoum. Sudan’s pro-democracy movement resumed talks with the ruling military council on Wednesday over a transfer of power to civilian rule, a protest leader said. The move could break weeks of political impasse since the military ousted autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.
Earlier in the day, the FDFC had said it would not resume direct talks until its demands were met. The African Union and Ethiopia, acting as mediators, had invited both sides for direct negotiations over their joint proposal to end Sudan’s political impasse.
They said the parties responded “positively” but disagreed on the make-up of the sovereign council that would rule Sudan during the transition.
Talks on a power-sharing agreement collapsed when security forces violently broke up a protest camp in Khartoum on June 3. The military removed former president Omar al-Bashir in April amid mass protests against his rule.
Medani Abbas Medani, a protest negotiator, said at a Wednesday evening news conference in Khartoum that the talks would only focus on the leadership of the sovereign council. He said the sides had agreed on a 15-member council with eight seats for civilians and seven for the military, which was later adjusted to five seats for the military and six for civilians.
Sudan’s pro-democracy movement resumes talks with ruling military council
