SUDANESE STRONGMAN CANCELS AGREEMENTS WITH PROTESTERS,CALLS FOR POLLS IN 9 MONTHS

Al-Burhan cancels agreement with Sudan’s opposition, calls for election in 9 months

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June 4, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - The head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has called for general elections within nine months and cancelled previous agreements with the opposition groups.
In a speech made in the first hours of Tuesday morning, al-Burhan accused the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) of bearing the responsibility for prolonging the negotiations on power handover and trying to exclude the other political and military forces before to "clone another totalitarian regime", as he said.
He further announced the cancellation of the agreements reached with the FFC over the transitional government and parliament before to announce the organisation of general elections within nine months.
"General elections will be held not later than "seven months" from now, he said pointing that it should be implemented and supervised by regional and international observers.
Al-Burhan in his speech spoke about nine months but the text released by the TMC indicates seven months.
He also announced that a caretaker government will be formed to hold accountable former officials "involved in corruption or other crimes", to achieve lasting peace, to create a conducive regional and international environment for the elections and ensuring public freedoms and human rights.
The opposition FFC have already announced the suspension of talks with the military council and called for a general strike to overthrow the junta.
The head of the military council pledged to form an investigation committee into the attack of the sit-in area without further details.
During the tumultuous talks with the FFC, the TMC first refused to recognize the revolutionary legitimacy of the opposition groups saying they want to include the political forces that were part of the al-Bashir government.
After what, the military council removed the Islamist generals who were tasked with the political negotiations and accepted to limit the discussions with the opposition groups that toppled al-Bashir’s regime.
Recently, the parties suspended talks as they failed to reach an agreement over the Sovereign Council. The military junta said they want the majority of the collegial presidency adding it should be led by a military officer.