Sudanese military leaders and protesters meet in joint committee

A joint committee representing Sudanese military leaders and protesters is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Saturday to discuss their claim to a civilian regime, the main group of protesters said.

The protest leaders have held several rounds of inconclusive talks with the ruling military council since the army overthrew veteran president Omar al-Bashir on April 11 after four months of protests in the country. nationwide.

Earlier this week, both parties agreed to create a joint committee to chart the way forward.

The Alliance for Freedom and Change, which brings together grbadroots organizers, opposition groups and rebel groups, has staged numerous protests for the return to civilian rule since the overthrow of Bashir after three decades in power.

"The joint committee with the Transitional Military Council will hold its first meeting today, Saturday," the AFC said in a statement.

He did not specify who would represent him on the panel nor how long he expected the meetings to last.

The military council has so far refused to withdraw, insisting that he has been in power for a transitional period of two years.

But on Friday, he said he was in "permanent communication" with the protest movement and was waiting for him to choose delegates for the new joint panel.

The protesters kept up the pressure on the military, continuing their sit-in 24 hours in front of the army headquarters and mobilizing tens of thousands of people Thursday for a march of a "million people" for the civil regime.

Western governments have expressed their support, but major Gulf Arab lenders in Sudan have lent their support to the military council, while African states have asked the military for more time to leave it to civilians.