Sudanese people’s demands are legitimate: Turkey

By Busra Nur Bilgic

ANKARA (AA) - The demands of the Sudanese people for better government in the wake of the Omar al-Bashir era are highly legitimate, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Friday.

“We want peace and stability for the Sudanese people,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency’s Editors’ Desk in the capital Ankara.

The Sudanese people want a civilian government, stability, prosperity, and economic growth, said Cavusoglu, and Turkey has been showing support for these demands, he added.

Since Sudan’s longtime ruler al-Bashir stepped down this April, protests have demanded that a ruling military council hand over power as soon as possible to a civilian authority.

"We called for the formation of civilian administration as soon as possible, in line with the expectations of the Sudanese people," said Cavusoglu.

“We’re in contact with Sudanese parties but, of course, without interfering in Sudan’s internal affairs,” said Turkey’s top diplomat.

“The Sudanese people are very honorable and reject all international interference. We respect that. All we want for the brotherly Sudanese people is peace, prosperity and stability.”

Sudanese protesters on Sunday began a nationwide civil disobedience campaign as part of pressure on the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to a civilian government.

More than 100 people have been killed since June 3, when government forces broke up a weeks-long sit-in protest outside military headquarters in the capital Khartoum.