adminDr Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that Arab states’ support for an orderly political transition in Sudan is “totally legitimate”.
Dr Gargash’s tweet came as political leaders and protest group representatives entered into negotiations over the political transition after longtime ruler Al Bashir’s removal. The talks have shown little evidence of progress but several of those involved are optimistic an agreement is within reach.
Several Gulf states, including the UAE, have supported Sudan in trying to create a stable government post-Bashir.
“Totally legitimate for Arab states to support an orderly and stable transition in Sudan. One that carefully calibrates popular aspirations with institutional stability. We have experienced all-out chaos in the region and, sensibly, don’t need more of it,” Dr Gargash said.
Last week, the UAE announced it is set to deposit $250 million (Dh918m) in Sudan’s Central Bank as part of a support package announced this month.
The money comes as part of a $3bn joint aid package from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with about $500m to be deposited in the Sudanese Central Bank to ease an economic crisis in the country.
The other $2.5bn will help to provide food, medicine and petroleum products, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
However, it is still unclear who will lead Sudan during a very sensitive time for the country’s future.
Meanwhile, the African Union said that Sudan’s military rulers should hand over power to a civilian-led transitional authority within 60 days.
In a statement, the AU said it noted “with deep regret” that the military had not stepped aside and handed power to civilians within a 15-day period set by the AU last month. The 60 days were a final extension for Sudan’s Transitional Military Council to hand over power to civilians, the AU said.
The organisers of Sudan’s protests have threatened a general strike and civil disobedience as tensions escalate with the military council that assumed power after the overthrow of President Al Bashir
The Sudanese Professionals Association and its allies, which organised the four months of demonstrations that drove Al Bashir from office on April 11, accuse the generals of clinging to power.
The protesters have proposed a joint military-civilian sovereign council, comprised of eight civilian and seven military members. The military council proposed a 10-member council with three seats for civilians.
The organisers have called for mass rallies on Thursday, while the military has warned against any further “chaos”. The generals have demanded the protesters clear roadblocks around their sit-in outside the military’s headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.
The African Union initially echoed the protesters’ calls for a swift transition to civilian rule, giving the military 15 days to hand over power in line with the regional bloc’s policy of “zero tolerance” for military coups. – The National
Online Reporter