Sudan's military rulers to form technocrat gov't

By Bahram Abdel-Moneimand and Ahmed Assem

KHARTOUM (AA) – Sudan's ruling military council said Tuesday it will draw up a transitional technocrat government.

"We will form a transitional government of technocrats as soon as possible until elections are held," Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the deputy chairman of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), told a rally in the capital Khartoum.

He appealed to the country's political parties to "shoulder their responsibility and ignore personal interests in light of the current circumstances in the country".

He said the TMC has delegated tribal councils in Sudan to form a technocrat government.

Sudan has remained in turmoil since April 11, when the military establishment deposed long-serving President Omar al-Bashir after months of popular protests against his 30-year rule.

The TMC is now overseeing a two-year “transitional period” during which it has pledged to hold free presidential elections.

Sudanese popular protests, however, have continued to demand that the military council hand over power -- at the earliest possible date -- to a civilian authority.