Sudan’s opposition coalition meets with military authorities after 8-month hiatus

KHARTOUM, Sudan – An alliance of opposition political parties and civilian groups in Sudan has met with ruling military authorities in the capital Khartoum to discuss the current political crisis and a roadmap to democracy.

The Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) said the organization’s leadership met with “the leaders of the military coup authority, at the residence of the Saudi ambassador in the capital, Khartoum.”

During the meeting, the FFC stressed the necessity of ending the military rule and transferring the authority to the people through a democratic government.

The meeting was held at the invitation of US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and Saudi Ambassador to Sudan Ali bin Hassan Jaffar.

The FFC proposed a power transition “through a clear road map and within the framework of a political process whose sides are the FFC on one hand, and those who carried out the coup on the other.”

For its part, the US Embassy said in a statement that the meeting was held to exchange ideas on how to resolve the political crisis and reach a political process that leads to a democratic transition.

The embassy also stressed both sides’ “commitment to put the nation’s interests first and to engage other stakeholders.”

Sudan has been in turmoil since the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government in October last year, a move decried by political forces as a “military coup.”

According to the NGO Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, at least 100 people have been killed in protests against the military since then.