Sudanese protesters reject "absolute immunity" of generals



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The main Sudanese protest group opposes the absolute immunity of the army against the prosecution for violence against demonstrators, said a spokesman, while the two sides discussed a power-sharing agreement.

"We reject the absolute immunity that the military leaders demanded," Ismail al-Taj, spokesman for the protest group of the Sudanese Professionals' Association (ASP), told Khartoum.

His comments came just before the ruling generals and leaders of the protest sat down to fine-tune the historic agreement reached earlier this month after mediation by the African Union and Ethiopian mediators.

The agreement, which has not yet been formally signed, aims to create a transitional governing body to set up a civil administration for a period of just over three years.

Taj said the military council, which has been running the country since the dismissal of veteran president Omar al-Bashir in April, demands "absolute immunity" from prosecution, which was not in the historic agreement.

"When we agreed on the draft agreement, it was not there," Ahmed al-Rabie, leader of the demonstration, told AFP.

"We totally reject it," said Rabie, confirming the latest request from the ruling generals.

Bashir was ousted by the army on April 11 after weeks of national demonstrations against his power and after thousands of protesters camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum.

Protesters continued their sit-in, demanding that the generals themselves withdraw.

But on June 3, protesters were violently dispersed by men dressed in military fatigues during a raid conducted before dawn on the site of the protest, in front of the army headquarters.

The military council insists that he did not order the raid which, according to the protest movement, killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds.

Tuesday's talks came after several postponements requested by the protest movement, which had asked for more time for consultations before resuming negotiations with the generals.

Taj said he expects that a "breakthrough" will emerge from Tuesday's talks.

The SPA is the main protest group of the wider movement known as the Alliance for Freedom and Change.

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