Panel to mediate between Sudan army council, opposition

By Omer Erdem

KHARTOUM (AA) - A mediation committee has been drawn up to find common ground between Sudan’s ruling Military Transitional Council (MTC) and the opposition, a committee source told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the committee is calling for the establishment of a ten-member presidential council -- composed of seven civilians and three military figures -- to run the nation’s affairs until presidential elections are held.

The MTC is currently overseeing a two-year “transitional period” following the April 11 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled Sudan since 1989.

According to the committee source, the proposed Presidential Council would be headed up by Lieutenant-General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the current head of the MTC, along with two vice-presidents -- one civilian and one military.

The Presidential Council, the same source said, would be endowed with the authority to appoint judicial officials, diplomatic figures and provincial governors.

The mediation committee has also reportedly called for the establishment of a ten-member Defense and National Security Council composed of seven military figures and three civilians.

According to local media reports, the mediation committee includes media personality Mahjub Mohamed, businessman Osama Dawoud, and activist Nasreddin Salkami, all of whom have already reportedly met with Burhan.

The MTC, for its part, has yet to issue a statement on the mediation committee’s proposals.

On Thursday, the Declaration of Freedom and Change (DFC), an alliance of opposition groups, presented its list of proposals to the MTC, which included calls for a civilian-dominated Presidential Council.

The DFC argues that the proposed Presidential Council, along with Sudan’s Legislative Assembly and Council of Ministers, should be dominated by civilian figures.

According to the DFC, executive power should be held by a Council of Ministers composed of a prime minister, a deputy PM and 17 government ministers.

The Legislative Assembly, meanwhile, should include between 120 and 150 representatives to be chosen from among signatories to the DFC.

In recent days, the DFC has held intensive discussions with the MTC with a view to persuading the latter to relinquish power to a civilian authority.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters have continued to demonstrate outside army headquarters in capital Khartoum to demand the dismissal of all Bashir-linked officials and the dissolution of Bashir-era institutions.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas