Sudan Military Council members resign

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Three members of Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council resigned, but the resignations have yet to be accepted, the TMC said.

Lieutenant-General Omar Zain al-Abideen who heads the TMC’s political committee was one who resigned, the TMC said in a statement. The others were Lieutenant-General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh and Lieutenant-General Al-Tayeb Babakr Ali Fadeel.

The resignations came after the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, the main protest organiser, called for a million-strong march on Thursday. An SPA demands was for the three lieutenant-generals, Abideen, Fadeel and Sheikh, to be dismissed and tried over their alleged role in a crackdown that killed dozens of protesters.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, the opposition and TMC agreed to form a committee to resolve their disagreements, amid tensions over how long it will take to move to civilian rule after the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

“We are partners working to bring Sudan to safety,” TMC spokesman Shams El Din Kabbashi said on state TV following a meeting with the umbrella group Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, which includes the SPA. The TMC invited the opposition to the talks, saying “the doors of dialogue and negotiation are open.”

The opposition movement voiced a willingness to participate.

“The Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change responded to the invitation and will listen with an open mind to what the president of the military council will propose, asserting our desire is peaceful transfer to a transitional civilian authority that reflects the forces of the revolution,” the SPA said in a statement.

The TMC and the opposition appeared to be on a collision course over popular demands for democratisation under a civilian government. The SPA said it would suspend talks with the military council.

The opposition insists on a swift handover of power to civilians, the TMC said the process could take up to two years.