Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Sudan Protesters Tone Down Demands, Await Response from Military

Sudanese chant slogans as they gather during a demonstration outside the army headquarters in Khartoum on May 2, 2019. (Photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP)

Sudan’s protesters have toned down some of their demands in an attempt to ease tensions with the ruling military council that took over the country after president Omar al-Bashir’s ouster last month.

The protesters, who had rallied for over four months against al-Bashir's 30-year rule, are demanding the military hand over power to civilians.

They have been holding a sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum and have also been negotiating with the council on the makeup of a transitional sovereign council for an interim period. Both sides insist they should have the majority of seats in the transitional council.

The Forces of the Declaration for Freedom and Change, a coalition led by the Sudanese Professionals Association, released a new proposal Thursday that altogether drops the issue of seat allocations.

Protest leader Satea al-Haj told reporters that the transitional civilian government should be of 17 ministers, while the legislative body should include 120 to 150 members.

He said the alliance was expecting a response from the military council in "48 to 72 hours".

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.