The civilian coalition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the opposition parties have agreed to sign an agreement with the head of the army and president of the Sovereign Transitional Council, Abdelfatá al Burhan, to end the crisis resulting from the October coup d’état on condition that political prisoners are released.
In a communiqué after a meeting held on Sunday at the headquarters of the National Umma Party (NUP), the participating groups have specified that they will accept the initiative if al Burhan releases the political prisoners and stops the violence against the demonstrators, as reported on Monday by Radio Dabanga.
The meeting to discuss the terms of the agreement came after negotiations between the parties did not make clear when the agreement would be signed, prompting tens of thousands of people to demonstrate in the capital Khartoum, but also in Atbara, Gadarif, Al Geneina and Madani.
The FFC is part of the opposition to the Transitional Government and is one of the main groups behind the demonstrations that ended with the departure from power in 2019 of the then president, Omar Hassan al Bashir.
On the sidelines of the agreement, Al Burhan announced Monday the freezing of the activity of trade unions, professional federations and the General Federation of Employers, as reported on its Twitter profile by the Sovereign Transitional Council.
Instead, Al Burhan has reported that a committee headed by the Registrar General of Labor Organizations will form steering committees for unions, professional federations and the Employers’ Union.
Al Burhan led a new coup in October 2021 that ousted the transitional prime minister, Abdullah Hamdok, appointed following an agreement between the previous military junta, which emerged after the 2019 coup against Al Bashir, and various civil organizations and opposition political formations.
