Protesters clash with security forces as they fire teargas to prevent them from marching towards the presidential palace during demonstrations demanding civilian rule, in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, May 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States on Tuesday urged rapid progress from military to civilian rule in Sudan and threatened sanctions on anyone impeding or blocking the transition to democracy.
Richard Mills, deputy U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, said Washington supports a joint effort by the U.N. political mission in Sudan, the African Union and the eight-nation regional group IGAD to facilitate a Sudanese-led shift to democracy.
Speaking before the Security Council, he strongly encouraged Sudanese civilians and military to use this process to move quickly “on the framework for a civilian-led transitional government.”
Sudan has been in turmoil since an October military coup upended its short-lived transition to democracy after three decades of repressive rule by strongman Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir and his Islamist-backed government were removed in a popular uprising in April 2019.
The military takeover sparked protests demanding a return to civilian rule and a crackdown on protesters by security forces. The coup also sent Sudan’s already fragile economy into free fall, with living conditions rapidly deteriorating.
The two main protest groups, the Sudanese Professionals Association and the Resistance Committees, have long demanded the removal of the military from power and the establishment of a fully civilian government.
The generals say they will hand over power only to an elected administration. They say elections will take place in July 2023 as planned in a constitutional document governing the transitional period.
Mills expressed hope that the dialogue facilitated by the U.N., AU and the east African IGAD regional group “will succeed and soon.”
“The transfer of power to a civilian-led government will enable the resumption of international financial support and development assistance — support that is desperately needed,” the U.S. envoy said. “To make sure that progress happens, and that the people of Sudan are well-served, we are prepared to levy consequences on those who impede or otherwise spoil Sudan’s transition to democracy.”
In U.N. diplomatic language, “consequences” mean sanctions.
The U.N. special representative for Sudan, Volker Perthes, was asked if he thought sanctions would be useful, and replied: “I believe more in incentives than in sanctions.”
From late March until today, he said, Sudanese authorities have released at least 86 detainees, including high profile officials and activists, but at least 111 people reportedly remain in detention in Khartoum, Port Sudan and elsewhere.
While violence by security forces against protesters appears to have decreased overall, another protester was killed Saturday, bringing the total number to 96, he said.
“If the authorities want to build trust, it is essential that those responsible for violence against protesters be held to account,” Perthes said.
Following the initial release of detainees and reduction in violence, Perthes said, the U.N., AU and IGAD began on May 12 indirect talks with the parties on core issues. Those include the term and composition of key constitutional organs, future relations between the military and civilian components, and the mechanism and criteria for selecting a prime minister, he said.
Reaching understandings on these issues, Perthes said, “will help chart the way out of the crisis and address the institutional vacuum after the coup.”
The U.N. envoy was also cautious.
“Let me be clear: There are also spoilers who do not want a peaceful transition to democracy, or refuse a solution through dialogue,” Perthes said. “The Sudanese parties should not allow such spoilers to undermine the opportunity of finding a negotiated exit to the crisis.”
Sudan's new U.N. ambassador, Al-Harith Mohamed, told the council: “We continue working in Sudan to complete the political transition and move towards democracy, freedom, peace and justice."
He said the government is involved in the U.N., AU and IGAD initiative to form a national consensus and have a civilian government. “And in this case the military will cede power to the government," but the ultimate objective is having democratic elections he said.
Newer articles:
- Story of a lion, wars, Rwanda, South Sudan and Kigezi - 01/06/2022 01:13
- Radisson Hotel Group debuts in South Sudan with the opening of Radisson Blu Hotel, Juba - 31/05/2022 14:26
- South Sudan: Invest in the Renewal of the Region’s Largest Oil Producer - 31/05/2022 13:46
- Canada announces funding for projects in South Sudan - 31/05/2022 13:20
- South Sudanese artiste Manasseh Mathiang shines at Oslo Freedom Forum - 31/05/2022 06:48
Older news items
- As elections loom, South Sudan’s sluggish peace deal fuels further instability and violence - 30/05/2022 17:21
- Ecumenical trip to South Sudan in July will model reconciliation and forgiveness - 30/05/2022 08:56
- Local swimathon raises more than $9,000 for water in South Sudan - 30/05/2022 08:01
- Some protesters freed in Sudan after emergency law lifted - 30/05/2022 06:23
- World Bank grants South Sudan 70 mln USD to boost women empowerment - 29/05/2022 20:55
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan's vice-president in Cairo to participate in Egyptian-Sudanese higher committee meetings - 26/07/2021 13:35
- Chollo Petition to the United Nation Secretary General - 26/07/2010 12:34
- Sudan, South Sudan to meet for crisis talks - New Straits Times - 28/05/2012 05:29
- Sudan, South Sudan to return to talks next week over oil sharing, border - Washington Post - 25/05/2012 15:46
- South Sudan president says planned 2015 election to be delayed - 12/05/2014 16:33
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61748 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22308 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21495 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19063 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18814 times