This archive report was first published on 29 June 2019.
June 29, 2019 - Sudan's ruling generals have expressed openness to negotiations with protesters over forming a transitional administration, citing a new proposal drafted by Ethiopia and the African Union as a potential basis for talks.
The proposal, which was drafted in response to the generals' request for a unified effort to draft a proposal for Sudan's transition to civilian rule, calls for a civilian-majority ruling council, as demanded by protesters.
However, the proposal fails to mention the composition of a new transitional parliament, a key point of contention between the protesters and the generals.
General Shamseddine Kabbashi, spokesman of the ruling military council, stated that the joint proposal from the African Union and Ethiopia 'can be a base for starting negotiations to form an interim authority.'
The generals seized power after the army ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir on April 11, following months of nationwide protests against his ironfisted rule of three decades.
Since then, the generals have resisted calls from demonstrators and Western nations to hand power to a civilian administration.
The joint proposal entails creating a 15-member, civilian-majority governing body for a three-year transitional period, but it makes no mention of the composition of a legislative body.
