This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
Published on July 17, 2019, Sudan's key protest group, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), has expressed opposition to granting the military 'absolute immunity' against prosecution for violence against demonstrators.
According to Ismail al-Taj, a SPA spokesman, the military council, which has ruled since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir in April, is demanding 'absolute immunity' from prosecution.
"We refuse absolute immunity that the military rulers have asked for," Taj said, emphasizing that this demand was not included in the landmark deal agreed upon earlier this month.
The deal, mediated by African Union and Ethiopian mediators, aims to establish a transitional governing body to install a civilian administration for a period of just over three years.
However, the military council's insistence on 'absolute immunity' has been met with strong resistance from the protest movement, with prominent protest leader Ahmed al-Rabie stating, "We totally reject it."
The violent dispersal of protesters on June 3, which resulted in the deaths of over 100 people and left hundreds wounded, has been a major point of contention between the two sides.
