Sadiq al-Mahdi calls on the Sudanese president to step down as a safe exit

Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi called on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to step down and show willingness to meet with opposition representatives.

The Umma Party said in a statement that the Mahdi called on Bashir to step down and show readiness to meet with opposition representatives «to agree on the details of the transition to the new regime».

"In order to get out of the current standoff, we call on President Bashir to call for a safe exit for the people of Sudan and history, and to turn the sharp polarization of national unity and international isolation into international cooperation," the statement said.

The statement also called on Bashir to end emergency rule, torture and release political prisoners.

This follows a week of successive measures aimed at countering an unprecedented wave of protests that threaten Bashir's three-decade rule.

The measures included declaring a nationwide state of emergency, dismissing state governors and appointing military and security officials.

For its part, renewed US embassy in Khartoum yesterday condemned the use of security forces in Sudan excessive force against demonstrators in various Sudanese cities.

In a statement posted on its social networking site Facebook, the US embassy opened its doors to an open dialogue with the Sudanese as part of Washington's efforts to promote US interests in Sudan.

"The embassy provides time to meet Sudanese to discuss opportunities and risks so that companies can make informed decisions. At the same time, the embassy is fully involved in promoting respect for human rights in Sudan," she said.

In addition, emergency courts in different cities of Sudan began the fourth day in a row to try the demonstrators, who have been arrested since last Thursday.

Hundreds of protesters have been convicted in Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman courts on various charges, including riots, they said. They said the courts sentenced them to two to six months in prison and a fine of various amounts, as well as the removal of the prosecution against most of them.