Sudanese leader says military open to dialogue on democratic transition

KHARTOUM, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Saturday stressed that the military was open to a national dialogue aimed at achieving democratic transition.

“The army is ready to conduct a dialogue regarding a transitional period if a consensus is reached,” said Al-Burhan in an interview aired by Sudan TV.

“Neither I nor the military establishment wants to rule Sudan. The army will leave the political arena in the event that elections are conducted or a national consensus is reached in the country,” he said.

He called for a dialogue that must include all forces, except for the National Congress Party, which is the party of former President Omar al-Bashir.

Meanwhile, Al-Burhan criticized the UN-facilitated consultations led by Volker Perthes, head of the United Nations Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

“Volker is a mediator to bring all parties to sit for dialogue, but he has no right to propose an initiative. He sits with a specific group and gets influenced by their ideas,” he noted.

Al-Burhan further downplayed the possibility of imposing international sanctions on him or the military establishment under the pretext of undermining the democratic transition in Sudan.

“Talking about sanctions is not feasible or useful,” he said.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after Al-Burhan, also the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021 and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.

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