Sudan: a dispute between civilians and the military on the composition of the sovereign council

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Sudan said that the meeting held Monday at the Presidential Palace between the Transitional Military Council and the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, has not reached an agreement on the proportions of the parties in the Interim Governing Council.

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the consultations focused on the proportions of representation in the sovereign council without reaching an agreement, and explained that the military junta and the forces of freedom and change agreed to hold consultations on the details of the constitutional declaration.

The correspondent said that the constitutional declaration will determine the structures of the transitional period and then the powers of the sovereign council and the transitional government.

Study of proposals
For his part, a spokesman for the military council Shamseddine Kabbashi - in a press conference after the meeting - that the proposals of the parties were studied, noting that the Sudanese military council had considered that the sovereign council includes seven soldiers and three civilians.

Kabbashi stressed that the time factor is not in everyone's interest. He pointed out that the vision of the forces of freedom and change has changed since the last consultation session. The freedom forces are expected to present their full vision tomorrow to negotiate.

Kabbashi added that the two sides agreed to open roads and train lines as soon as possible through specific routes.

The two sides were due to discuss the formation of the proposed council, but the military commanders who overthrew Bashir on April 11 focused instead on the council's mandate and mandate in the future, Reuters quoted two well-informed sources as saying.

Another meeting between the Transitional Military Council and the forces of the Freedom and Change Declaration, a coalition representing opposition groups and activists, was scheduled to take place.

The statement of the forces of freedom and change has indicated that this round is dedicated to complete the discussion of the composition and powers of the sovereign council.

Agreement and Importance
Earlier, the two sides agreed that the council would be a mix of military and civilian personnel, without disclosing whether conciliation has been finalized. But activists said the council would have 15 members, eight civilians and seven generals, and would be charged with forming a new civilian transitional government to govern and pave the way for the first election after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.

The formation of the proposed council is crucial because the activists who have organized the 16-week protests that led to Bashir's ouster insist that the leadership of the council is civilian. The military junta has not indicated its readiness to give up absolute power.

The Joint Council will be the sovereign body that oversees a government of technocrats and a legislature.

The military junta announced after Bashir's ouster that it would remain in power two years before elections, and the forces of the Freedom and Change Declaration wanted a four-year transitional period supervised by a civilian-led council with military representation.

Protesters continue to press the Council through rallies and sit-ins outside the Defense Ministry in the capital, Khartoum, which began on April 6.