Sudan’s new sovereign council obstructs efforts to restore civilian-led transition – UN envoy

KHARTOUM — The appointment of a new Sovereign Council obstructs efforts to restore the civilian-led government, UN secretary-general’s envoy to Sudan told the Security Council on Thursday.

Volker Perthes UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission In Sudan (UNITAMS) head briefed the Security Council on Thursday evening about the appointment of a new Sovereign Council excluding the political and civil forces that were behind the December revolution that ousted the al-Bashir’s regime in April 2019.

Perthes “expressed his concern that the unilateral appointment of a new Sovereign Council by Lt. General Burhan makes it increasingly difficult to return to the constitutional order,” reads a statement released by the UNITAMS.

Perthes held a series of meetings with al-Burhan and Prime Minister Hamdok who is under house arrest aiming to strike a compromise ensuring the latter release, his reinstatement as prime minister, release of his adviser and cabinet members.

Al-Burhan said he was ready to reappoint Hamdok but not his cabinet which is nominated by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) who concluded the constitutional declaration governing the transitional period in Sudan.

For his part, Hamdok said he was the prime minister of the FFC forces and he remains loyal to this political coalition and its decisions.

UNITAMS head also sought to convince the coup leader to refrain from taking further unilateral actions that go against the spirit of the 2019 partnership.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that the ongoing developments in Sudan were a source of “great concern”.

“We call for the immediate release of all those who embody the spirit and hope of the Sudanese revolution, which must not be betrayed,” he added.