Normal life is back to Khartoum and the cities of Sudan, after a general strike that paralyzed the country for two days.
Member of the Sudanese opposition Freedom and Change Forces Siddiq Youssef stated that the Transitional Military Council agreed on equal participation at the sovereign council on condition that it chairs the council during the three-year transition period.
However, Youssef informed the press that the Freedom and Change Forces rejected this suggestion and insisted on chairing the council. He saw that the military council insists on staying in power and not handing it to civilians.
The Freedom and Change Forces declared that the strike on Tuesday and Wednesday almost entirely succeeded, warning that peaceful escalation would continue reaching civil disobedience, without specifying a date for this step.
Talks were stalled on May 20 between protests and the military council due to a dispute on the sovereign council to run the country's affairs.
In a statement issued Thursday, the European Union said: “As soon as such a transition takes place, the EU stands ready to provide Sudan with economic and political support as a means to deliver on the legitimate democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people and ease the country's dire socio-economic situation.”
It added that the priority in the meantime was that negotiations continue intensively, in good faith, and without any threat or use of violence in order to reach a compromise on a civilian-led transition.
A joint statement last week from Norway, the UK, and the US said that any outcome that doesn’t lead to a civilian-led government will “complicate international engagement, and make it harder for our countries to work with the new authorities and support Sudan’s economic development.”
