Alyurae-At a time when the United Nations on Thursday unveiled broad lines of a possible agreement to return to power-sharing between the military and civilians, including the reinstatement of deposed Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a decision to release four ministers arrested after the coup, while a military source confirmed that al-Burhan adopted the nominations of the new Sovereign Council, in conjunction with a session of the UN Human Rights Council, today, to discuss a draft resolution calling for the restoration of power For civilians,
Sources close to Hamdok said progress in talks with the military had been made.
On 25 October, Sudanese army commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan turned on his civilian partners in political institutions that were in power during a transition that was supposed to allow Sudan to transition to democracy in 2023.
Earlier Sudan state television said al-Burhan issued a decision to release the minister of information and culture in the isolated government Hamza Baloul, Minister of Youth and Sports Yusuf Adam al-Dhi, Minister of Trade and Supply Ali Jeddou, and Communications Minister Hassab Al-Rasul.
Meanwhile the United Nations announced that its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had had a telephone conversation with Al-Burhan, urging him to restore constitutional order and release Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.
But Cabinet Minister Khaled Selk, Industry Minister and Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh remain in detention, as well as Member of the Sovereign Council Mohammed al-Faki and Governor of Khartoum Ayman Nimr, as well as political leaders, cadres and resistance youth in the capital and the states are still in detention.
“A 14-person sovereignty council will be formed in the coming period,” reuters quoted an official Sudanese source as saying on Thursday.
In the first reaction, many Sudanese activists called on social media sites to respond to recent decisions through new demonstrations in what they called “million- rejections” and stick to their previously stated demands since the October 21 and 25 marches calling for the situation to return to normal before the coup, handing over the authority of the Council of The Head of State to civilians, releasing all detainees and dissolving militias.
Sudan TV also quoted Brig. Gen. Taher Abu Haga, media advisor to Burhan, as saying that “the formation of the government is imminent”. A source pointed to three candidates for the post of prime minister if Hamdok does not agree to take over the presidency of the new transitional government, namely Omar Dahab, Mudawi Ibrahim and Hind Abia.
This followed the announcement by the United Nations Special Envoy to the Sudan Volker Bertis that talks had yielded broad lines of a possible agreement on a return to power-sharing between the military and civilians, including hamdok’s reinstatement.
But he stressed the need to reach that agreement within “days, not weeks” before the two sides tightened their positions.
In addition, the United States, Britain and Germany submitted to the Human Rights Council a draft resolution on Sudan calling for the immediate return of civilians to power after the coup d’état by the Sudanese army and calling for the appointment of a special rapporteur to follow up on the human rights situation in the country.
The Human Rights Council, the highest UN body in the field, will hold a special session on Sudan on Friday morning, at the outset of which high commissioner for human rights Michel Bachelet will deliver a speech, according to a statement issued by her office on Wednesday evening, in conjunction with the publication of the draft resolution.
