US and European concern over the appointment of a new Sovereign Council in Sudan
The United States and other Western powers expressed deep concern on Friday over the appointment of a new sovereign council in Sudan, saying the move would complicate efforts to put the democratic transition back on track.
The United States, Britain, Norway, the European Union and Switzerland urged Sudan's security services to respect the right to freedom of expression "without fear of violence or arrest" ahead of protests scheduled for Saturday against the army's moves in the country.
And Sudanese television said today, Friday, that the passage of Khartoum State will close all its bridges except for three on the Nile at midnight, before scheduled demonstrations, noting that these procedures are routine in the context of tightening security measures before marches go out.
Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan was sworn in yesterday, Thursday, as head of the new Sovereignty Council, which replaces a council in which civilians and military personnel shared power, and Al-Burhan dissolved it last month, undermining Sudan's transition to civilian rule.
And Sudan TV said today, Friday, that Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, was sworn in as Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council in front of the President of the Council, Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and the head of the judiciary.
The United States, Britain, Norway, the European Union and Switzerland said in the joint statement that the move by the military undermines its commitment to respecting transition arrangements that require the Forces of Freedom and Change, the political alliance that has shared power with the military since 2019, for civilian members of the Sovereignty Council.
The statement added that this "complicates efforts to bring the democratic transition process in Sudan back on track," describing the move as a "violation" of the power transition agreement.
"We strongly urge that no further escalatory steps be taken," the countries said in the statement.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter last night that the events in Sudan are very worrying.
"We demand the immediate release of all those who embody the spirit and hope of the Sudanese revolution, which must not be betrayed," he added.
In Geneva, a United Nations statement said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, had assigned Adama Deng, a former advisor to the international organization on the prevention of genocide, to monitor "developments in the human rights situation" in Sudan, with his term ending when a civilian-led government returned. to rule the country.
Earlier, Volker Peretz, the United Nations special envoy to Sudan, said that "the unilateral appointment of a new sovereign council makes it more difficult to return to the constitutional order."
Peretz referred to the demonstrations planned for Saturday, calling on the security forces to exercise the utmost restraint and respect the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
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