Sudan’s top general says army will exit politics after 2023 vote
Top general says Sudan’s military will not participate in politics after a civilian government is elected in 2023.
Sudan’s military chief says the army will leave politics after elections that are scheduled for 2023.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan offered the assurance during one of several interviews he gave to international news agencies on Saturday.
The general had led a military takeover in late October, upending Sudan’s transition to civilian-led democracy, but a deal struck on November 21 has reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to lead a technocratic Cabinet until elections in July 2023.
The coup, which ended a partnership with civilian political parties after the toppling of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir, drew international condemnation after the detention of dozens of key officials and crackdowns on protesters.
Neighborhood resistance committees and political parties have called for the military to exit politics immediately and have rejected any compromise, including the deal with Hamdok. At least 44 people have died during demonstrations, many from gunshot wounds from security forces, according to medics.
“Investigations regarding the victims of the protests have begun to identify who has done this … and to punish the criminals,” al-Burhan said, adding that security forces had only dispersed non-peaceful protests.
Al-Bashir has been jailed since his overthrow on corruption and other charges. Along with several other Sudanese suspects, he is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Darfur.
The civilian government dissolved in the coup had approved al-Bashir’s handover, but the military has yet to agree.
“We have understandings with the International Criminal Court for the appearance [of suspects] before the judiciary or before the court,” al-Burhan said. “We have remained in dialogue with the court on how to do right by the victims.”
In the aftermath of the coup, many civilian bureaucrats were dismissed or transferred and replaced with al-Bashir-era veterans in decisions Hamdok has sought to reverse.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES