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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on Sudanese military leaders and protest groups to return to the negotiating table and reach an early agreement on handing over power to a civilian-led government.
Guterres said in a statement that the parties should "conclude negotiations on the transfer of power to a civilian-led transitional authority as soon as possible".
Negotiations between the protesters and the military council were broken off as to whether a planned transitional body would be headed by a civilian or military personality.
The stalemate has raised concerns that the military is seeking to tighten its hold on power, wiping out the hopes of a democratic process in Sudan.
On Friday, hundreds of people showed their support for Sudanese military leaders in Khartoum.
The military council has ruled the country since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir on April 11 after months of demonstrations against his authoritarian regime.
Guterres called for "greater restraint" and stressed the importance of upholding human rights, including the right to freedom of badembly and expression.
The Sudanese authorities on Thursday closed Qatar's Al Jazeera-based Khartoum office and banned journalists from reporting in the country.
The Sudanese generals, supported by the major Arab powers, resisted calls from African and Western governments to hand over the reins of power.
The head of the ruling military council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited Saudi Arabia this week following talks in Egypt last week.
On 14 May, the leaders of the demonstration and the armed forces took a decisive step in agreeing on a three-year transition period for the transfer of power to a civilian administration.
They also agreed that the parliament would consist of 300 members for the transition, of which about two-thirds would belong to the protest alliance and the rest, from other political groups.
Negotiations were, however, suspended the next day by the army, which asked protesters to raise roadblocks following clashes in which five people were killed.
Discussions resumed on May 19, but failed the next day following a disagreement over whether the military or a civilian should direct the authority of the transition.
The UN chief has called for a transition in Sudan that meets the "democratic aspiration" of the Sudanese people.
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