Sudanese Parties Inch Closer towards Resolving Crisis

Sudanese protesters chant slogans during a sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum on May 1, 2019. (AFP)
Sudanese protesters chant slogans during a sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum on May 1, 2019. (AFP)
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Sudanese Parties Inch Closer towards Resolving Crisis

Sudanese protesters chant slogans during a sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum on May 1, 2019. (AFP)
Sudanese protesters chant slogans during a sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum on May 1, 2019. (AFP)

Sudanese parties inched closer towards resolving their country’s crisis after the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance and transitional military council agreed, in principle, to proposals by a panel of experts to bridge divides between them.

The DFCF and military rulers have been deadlocked over the formation of a joint civilian-military body to oversee the period following the overthrow of long-term president Omar al-Bashir following months of mass protests.

The parties are deadlocked over who would control the new council, and what the features of a transitional government would be.

The protesters have been holding negotiations with the military council over the creation of the new sovereign council, but the two sides remain divided over how large a role the generals should have in it.

The army has been pushing for a 10-member council including seven military representatives and three civilians. The coalition is demanding a council made up of eight civilians and seven generals.

The expert panel, comprised of national figures, proposed the formation of a sovereign council made up of seven civilians and three generals and a joint defense council of seven generals and three civilians.

The military rulers have agreed to the suggestion.

Member of the DFCF Sateh Ahmed al-Hajj told Asharq Al-Awsat that the coalition will later hold a meeting to examine the panel’s draft proposal, most notably the idea to form a separate sovereign council and a defense one.

Another member, Amjad Farid said that the coalition will agree to the formation of two councils.

He added that the protesters will continue their rallies until the revolution achieves its goals and until civilian rule is established.



Lebanon Says Five Dead in Israeli Strike on Tyre City Center

A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building targeted by an Israeli military strike on 23 October, in Tyre, Lebanon, 24 October 2024. EPA/STRINGER
A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building targeted by an Israeli military strike on 23 October, in Tyre, Lebanon, 24 October 2024. EPA/STRINGER
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Lebanon Says Five Dead in Israeli Strike on Tyre City Center

A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building targeted by an Israeli military strike on 23 October, in Tyre, Lebanon, 24 October 2024. EPA/STRINGER
A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building targeted by an Israeli military strike on 23 October, in Tyre, Lebanon, 24 October 2024. EPA/STRINGER

Lebanon's health ministry said Israel struck the southern city of Tyre on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding 10 others.
An "Israeli enemy strike this morning on a building" in the center of the coastal city "led to a provisional toll of five dead and 10 wounded", a health ministry statement said.
It added that "work is ongoing to remove the rubble".
An AFP video journalist saw emergency personnel rush a survivor to an ambulance on a stretcher, while other rescuers worked to put out a heavily smoldering fire at the site, where a residential apartment block had collapsed like a pancake.
Tyre, an ancient coastal city which boasts a UNESCO World Heritage site, was subjected to heavy Israeli strikes last week, leaving swathes of the center in ruins.
Israel last month escalated air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds and sent ground forces into Lebanon, following a year of cross-border exchanges of fire with the Iran-backed group over the Gaza war.