Opposition chief demands Sudan join ICC as talks held on civil rule

AFP  |  Khartoum 

A top called Saturday for to join the which has indicted its ousted Omar al-Bashir, as a panel of protesters and the military met to discuss civilian rule.

Sadiq al-Mahdi, a former of the opposition that has backed the protests, also told reporters that the army's ouster of was "not a military coup".

His comments came as a joint committee representing the ruling military leadership and protesters held their first meeting to discuss a demand by demonstrators for a handover to civilian rule.

Rashid al-Sayed, a for the protest movement, said the meeting was a confidence-building step between both sides who are "partners in the revolution" and a second round was due later on Saturday.

He said the military council vowed at the talks that a vast protest camp outside headquarters "will not be dispersed by force".

was ousted by the on April 11 after months of protests against his three-decade rule.

Thousands of demonstrators reached the sprawling military headquarters in central on April 6, demanding that the support those opposing

Five days later, the army toppled Bashir but then took power into its own hands through a 10-member transitional military council.

The protesters, who have kept up the pressure round-the-clock outside army headquarters for weeks, are now demanding that the council step down and make way for a civilian government.

"We are happy with the progress made in the talks," protester told AFP.

"The fact that no time frames have been set is justified given that it's early in the talks."

Another demonstrator Rawan Al-said those camped out will not leave until their demands are met.

"We won't leave until we have civil rule and laws guaranteeing freedom of expression."

Buses bringing protesters kept arriving Saturday, with hundreds of protesters coming from the eastern province of Kassala, an said.

Earlier, Mahdi told reporters "it is possible to agree on a civilian authority with the military council because they did not plan a coup".

But he said his party would not join a civilian transitional government.

He also insisted should "immediately" join the Hague-based where Bashir is wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the conflict in

"This should be done in coordination with the transitional military council," Mahdi added.

Bashir, 75, has consistently denied the charges against him.

The war in erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of social and political marginalisation.

The says about 300,000 people have died in the conflict, with another 2.5 million displaced, many of them still living in miserable camps across the western region of the country.

Protest group told reporters that Bashir and other regime figures could be tried in

"We are not seeking retaliatory measures against them, but we want to rebuild our justice system to hold them accountable for their crimes," he said.

Mahdi, who was forced from office by Bashir in a 1989 coup, said Saturday that the president's regime was clinging on despite the upheaval.

"The of the regime has been ousted but the regime is still present," Mahdi said.

"The toppled regime might still try to do a coup," he said without elaborating.

Protest leaders have held several rounds of inconclusive talks with the military council since Bashir was ousted.

Earlier this week, the two sides agreed to set up the joint committee to chart the way forward.

The military council has so far refused to step down, insisting that it has assumed power for a two-year transitional period.

Western governments have expressed support, but Sudan's key lenders have backed the military council, while African states have called for more time for the army to hand over to civilians.

As protesters were pushing the military on civilian rule Saturday, assailants hurled rocks at a meeting of members of the Islamist Popular Congress Party, an ally of Bashir's, injuring 32 of them.

The alliance leading the protests called the attack "an isolated and individual incident".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Sun, April 28 2019. 03:45 IST