Sudan’s junta suspends dialogue with Alliance for Freedom and Change

On Wednesday evening, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) of Sudan suspended dialogue with the main opposition Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC), until the removal of barricades from the main roads in the capital Khartoum.

In a statement aired on Sudan TV, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, head of the TMC announced the suspension of negotiations for 72 hours, saying “the revolution has derailed from its peaceful path following escalation on the ground during the last hours”.

El Burhan said that “negotiations with opposition forces reached consensus where reasonable logic prevailed, cessation of escalation, and formation of joint committees for protecting the sit-in site which should be limited to area before the armed forces command”.

The TMC chief’s statement stressed importance of not provoking the armed forces, RSF and security and police forces , indicating that these forces are operating for protecting the protesters and maintaining the public security.

Barricades

El Burhan described blockage of streets that led to traffic jams and obstruction of trains and transport of supplies to the states , as unjustified acts.

He further added that aggressive speech has created a state of public chaos , insecurities and infiltration of armed elements into sit-in site and around where they  targeted the armed forces and the protesters a matter which voided the revolution from its peacefulness.

The TMC chair noted that “to prevent the country from sliding into uncontrollable insecurity the negotiation was suspended for 72 hours until appropriate climate is created for completion of the agreement, removal of barricades set up outside the sit-in area and opening railways before trains to transport supplies to states.”

Cartoon by Omar Dafallah (RD)

AFC

Saati El Haj, a spokesman for the National Consensus Forcers (a coalition of -leftist- opposition parties and one of the components of the AFC) expressed surprise at the decision of the military junta to suspend negotiations.

He stressed that the position of the AFC is constant. It wants to continue negotiations to reach a final solution with the Transitional Military Council until the transfer of power to civilians.

The Transitional Military Council was to discuss with the Alliance of Freedom and Change in the meeting the final outcome of the talks and sign them after a three-year transitional period was agreed upon.

Communist Party of Sudan

The Communist Party confirmed its categorical rejection of the military assumption of the presidency of the sovereign council and the presence of a military majority in it, considering that as a consecration of a military regime.

Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Sudan (CPoS), Mohamed El Khateeb, said at a news conference in Khartoum: “The role of the army should be confined to the protection of the state, borders and national sovereignty”, stressing that the revolution cannot be established to bring the military back to power.

El Khateeb criticised the process of negotiating and entering into details, explaining that the military council was supposed to oblige by the handover of power.

He also criticised the negotiation method of starting with easy issues, explaining that basic issues such as representation proportions in the sovereign council and its presidency should have been started because this point is central in determining the shape of the state and continuing to negotiate.

The CPoS leader called on the Sudanese people to complete the uprising through a political strike and civil disobedience.

He accused the TMC of procrastination in handing over power and leniency with the figures of the regime. He held the military council responsible for the killing of the peaceful protestors on Monday, saying it was in the interest of dismantling the sit-in, and categorically rejected the justifications for holding the responsibility to a third party.

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