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Thousands of people have camped in front of the army headquarters to demand a civilian government
A senior Sudanese military council official told the BBC that he would not allow civilians to obtain a majority in the Supreme Council called to lead the country during a period of transition.
General Salah Abdelkhalek said that all they would agree would be an equal division with civilians.
Protesters continue their mbadive sit-in in front of the Army headquarters to ask the army to yield control.
President Omar al-Bashir was ousted from power on April 11, after 30 years.
He was replaced by a transitional military council that promised to hand over power to civilians within two years – a proposal rejected by the protesters.
The protest leaders accuse the military of not negotiating in good faith and defending Mr. Bashir's interests.
Military leaders say that they must be in charge of guaranteeing order and security in the country.
Who is responsible for Sudan?
The seven-member transitional military council led by General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan is currently in command.
She and the protesters agreed that the next government would be made up of technocrats, politicians or little-known military, said BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum.
But there would also be a supreme council, which would be above the government. Its composition and exact powers are still under negotiation.
This supreme council replaces the president and ensures that the army can retain its relevance and its power, while civilians direct the activities of the government, said our journalist.
Lieutenant-General Abdelkhalek told the BBC's Newsday program that the army would insist that the new Supreme Council occupy at least half of the seats: "[It’s] a red line, maybe half and half, "he said.
Opposition leaders – under the aegis of the Declaration of Liberty and Change of Forces (DFCF) – on Thursday sent a draft constitutional document to the military council, outlining their proposals for the transitional period before the holding of elections.
The project, seen by the Reuters news agency, also proposes the responsibilities of a cabinet and a legislature of 120 members.
The DFCF says that she is waiting for the response from the military council.
The African Union has revised its 15-day ultimatum, set on April 15, for military leaders to hand over power to civilians. They now have 60 days or are suspended from the mainland.
What do the military want?
General Salah Abdelkhalek – and the rest of the military council – clearly do not want to see their power eroded.
They fear that if they are a minority in a supreme council, they simply will not be voted.
In fact, baderting that he could agree to a 50:50 split could be considered a concession: the army had already suggested that the council be composed of seven soldiers and three civilians.
Of course, negotiations are often conducted in part through public statements and mostly in camera.
In private, numerous attempts have been made to break the current stalemate between the army and the protesters.
Elsewhere in the interview, Lieutenant-General Salah defended an old line: that without military chaos would ensue; and repeated a well-held denial – the armed forces had not targeted civilians in the past, he said.
People who have lost family members in Darfur, in the Nuba Mountains or in what is now southern Sudan simply will not believe it.
Source: BBC
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