Sudan V-P: ‘Junta not holding onto power’

The deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the country’s effective vice-president, Mohamed Hamdan (aka Hemeti), has reiterated that the council is not holding onto power.

Speaking to the press in Khartoum on Thursday, he said TMC insists on handing over power at the earliest opportunity and put forward a clear statement in this regard.

He added that the peaceful trend of the revolution calls for its protection, stressing at the same time, working to bring the country to a civilian government.

He pointed to a mediation team of national figures between the TMC and the forces of Freedom and Change and expressed his optimism to reach solutions.

Regarding the protesters blocking the railway [in Arabic: crossings] in Khartoum, Hemeti said, "We agreed with them and we are continuing with them in this regard to open the crossings to run the trains."

He stressed that the TMC came to protect youth and the revolution, and its goal is to reach a government of civil competencies that satisfies the aspirations of young people in Sudan and the country reaches an elected democratic government.

He advised the revolutionaries to have wisdom and patience and remove misunderstandings to reach the facts.

NUP

The President of the National Umma Party, El Sadig El Mahdi, has warned the leaders of the protests not to provoke the members of the TMC, and said they would hand over power soon to the civil administration as demanded by the demonstrators.

He said in an interview withAFP, "We should not provoke the military council to try to deprive it of its legitimacy or its positive role in the revolution".

"We should not challenge them in a way that forces them to prove themselves differently."

'Constiutional document'

On Thursday, the forces of Freedom and Change handed to the TMC a “constitutional document” identifying the powers of an Interim Governing Council between the civilian and the military in the sovereign tasks of leading the armed forces, appointing the judiciary council, the judiciary chief, state governors, ambassadors, and defence matters, as well as the legislative power, in consultation with the Cabinet.

The forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change set the number of cabinet ministers to be 17, to be appointed by consensus by the TMC and the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change. They will be tasked with maintaining security of the country, law enforcement, and appointment of civil service leaders.

The document specifies the number of members of the Interim Legislative Council, ranging from 120-150 members to be agreed upon by the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, with women represented by at least 40 per cent.

The “constitutional document” confirmed the independence of the judiciary and defined the functions of the judiciary, the army, the police and the security services.

The Forces for Freedom and Change held a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday, and explained the details of the constitutional document.

Omar El Degeir, the chairman of the Sudanese Congress Party and of the leadership of the Forces of Freedom and Change has called for taking all the necessary measures to let the armed movements participate in the arrangements of the transitional period and contribute to the completion of its tasks.

'Comprehensive peace'

He stressed in a press statement in Khartoum on Thursday the process of democratic transformation should include the achievement of a comprehensive peace in the country.

“The future of our country must be based on the participation of all forces in equal participation, rather than to be added.”

He pledged on behalf of the Sudan Call and the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change to work to push peace negotiations to the top of the agenda.

He said that the aim of negotiations between the forces of Declaration of Freedom and Change and the TMC is to transfer power to the people represented in an interim civil government system and end the one-party-state.

He pointed out that the forces of Freedom and Change consider themselves only as the transmitter of the positions and wishes of the people’s sit-in around the General Command of the armed forces and revolutionaries in different parts of the country.