Three days after the overthrow of Sudan's dictator Omar al-Bashir, the military leadership in Sudan has announced that it will be led by a civilian. This has promised the leadership of the military transitional council after talks with the opposition. The Prime Minister should be an expert selected by all parties, said General Yasser al-Ata, a member of the Transitional Council, on Sunday at a multi-party meeting in the capital, Khartoum. The president, however, is to come from the ranks of the armed forces.
"We want to build a civilian state based on freedom, justice and democracy," al-Ata said. The parties should agree on an "independent personality" and a "civil government".
After sustained demonstrations, the military had replaced long-time President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday with a coup and arrested. The new military leadership under former General Inspector Abdel Fattah Burhan is under pressure to relinquish power quickly. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people demonstrated again in the capital, Khartoum, for the formation of a civilian government.
The ruling Transitional Military Council has been trying to reach agreement with the opposition on a transitional government. Representatives of established parties seem to be more open to compromise, but leaders of mass protests call for a government without representatives of the old regime.
The offer of the military leadership was a commitment to the opposition, but did not go far enough for many. The union federation SPA, which has organized the recent mass protests, called for a complete transition of power into civilian hands. The protests in the capital Khartoum meanwhile continued.
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Burhani had promised a profound change in his first televised speech on Saturday. He will fight corruption and "eradicate the regime and its symbols". The General ordered the lifting of the nocturnal curfew and the release of detained demonstrators.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Khartoum called on the world community to stand behind the military council in order to "achieve the goal of democratic transition." Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates gave their support to the new leadership and promised humanitarian aid. The EU had previously demanded the swift transfer of power to a civilian government.