Deputy Head Of Sudan's Transitional Council Hopes For Agreement On Civilian Gov't

The vice president of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council expressed hope Wednesday that the country's political entities will agree on finalizing the institutions of the transitional period and form a civilian government.

"We hope that the country's political entities will reach a national consensus leading to the finalizing of the transitional institutions and the formation of a civilian government to administer the remainder of the transition period," General Mohamed Dagalo said at a press conference.

In response to a question about the deadline for the government's formation, he said he has no information.

"There are various initiatives. We don't have information and we are expecting people to negotiate solutions."

Dagalo, who is usually referred to by his nickname Hemeti, said the dissolution of the Sovereign Council and formation of a Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces was a proposal previously submitted by the Central Council of the Forces of Freedom and Change which was discussed and rejected.

"After rejecting the proposal, I received a call from the president of the Sovereign Council (Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) and my brothers in the Sovereign Council, who said that they had reached an agreement on the formation of a Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, and I advised them not to renege on the agreement," he added.

"We plan to uphold our promises and we will not back down, as we wish Sudan safety…We will leave the political arena and the government in exchange for the stability of the country if we have to, because our country cannot be lost in order for some to maintain power."

On July 4, Al-Burhan announced that the military institution would not participate in the national dialogue under the sponsorship of the "Tripartite Mechanism," namely the United Nations, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Al-Burhan said in a televised address at the time that "after the formation of the executive government, the Sovereign Council will be dissolved and a Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will be formed from among the Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces."

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

More than 100 people have been killed in protests against the military since then, according to Sudanese medics.

Al-Burhan denied carrying out a military coup and said his actions were aimed at "correcting the transitional period" and pledged to hand over power through elections or a national consensus.

Prior to al-Burhan's proceedings, Sudan had been in a transition phase since Aug. 21, 2019 which should last 53 months, ending with elections early in 2024.

*Sohaila Barghash contributed to this report from Ankara -