A prominent Sudanese pro-democracy group has conditionally accepted the UN’s offer to broker an end to political deadlock following the October military coup. Jaafar Hassan, a spokesperson for the Central Council for the Forces of Freedom and Change, said in a press statement on Sunday that the council decided to accept the invitation of the United Nations mission to support dialogue between the parties to the Sudanese crisis. Another key civilian group, the Sudanese Professionals Association, however, has rejected the UN’s offer.
Protesters have been holding regular marches against the military since it overthrew the civilian-led government of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok last October. They want the military to be kept out of the transitional governing coalition. Hamdok was reinstated on November 21 in a deal that called for an independent technocratic cabinet under military oversight. But Sudan’s pro-democracy movement denounced that agreement, insisting that power be handed over to a fully civilian government. Hamdok resigned in early January, citing longstanding disagreements with the military rulers and the slow pace of reforms.
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