El Burhan: AFC must negotiate with the TMC unconditionally

Abdelfattah El Burhan, chairman of the Transitional Military Council, called on the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC) to negotiate unconditionally with the TMC. These negotiations were broken off by the AFC following the massacre that happened when the sit-in in front of the army command in Khartoum was dispersed on June 3.

During a meeting with a large group of doctors and health workers in Khartoum on Wednesday, El Burhan said: “We call on our brothers among all political forces and the AFC to negotiate without any preconditions.”

El Burhan acknowledged that the AFC initiated the uprising. “We do not deny their role in the revolution and their leadership of the masses.”

He expressed the readiness of the TMC to negotiate with the AFC without conditions from any party. He also said no party should be excluded in the new political situation.

Short transition period

El Burhan emphasised the need for a short transition period, after which the people can decide who will govern Sudan. The country cannot be without a government for much longer, he said. He rejected any international interventions into Sudanese affairs.

He stressed that he wanted to continue to fight the corruption of the former regime.

Responsibility

The TFC takes its responsibility for what happened when the Khartoum sit-in was dismantled on June 3, he said. But he also claimed there are a lot of lies about the number of victims at the sit-in.

He accused unnamed parties of seeking to distort the image of the armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in order to remove them from the scene.

Confiscate

El Burhan also announced that the Friendship Palace Hotel in Khartoum has been confiscated for the benefit of the state.