Sudan's Resistance Committees Prepare to Hold 'Million-strong March' on Wednesday

Member of Transitional Sovereign Council Al-Hadi Idris. (SUNA)
Member of Transitional Sovereign Council Al-Hadi Idris. (SUNA)
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Sudan's Resistance Committees Prepare to Hold 'Million-strong March' on Wednesday

Member of Transitional Sovereign Council Al-Hadi Idris. (SUNA)
Member of Transitional Sovereign Council Al-Hadi Idris. (SUNA)

Sudan's Popular Resistance Committees called on citizens to participate in a million-strong march on April 6 to end military rule and restore civilian authority.

April 6 marks the second anniversary of the arrival of millions of Sudanese to the headquarters of the army's general command in central Khartoum, days after ousting President Omar al-Bashir.

The resistance committees hope the expected million-strong demonstration to be a milestone in the ongoing protests against the army's seizure of power in October.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) launched an initiative and a roadmap to meet all political components, announced member of Transitional Sovereign Council Al-Hadi Idris.

Idris told the Sudan news agency (SUNA) that the dialogue adopted by the Revolutionary Front to resolve the Sudanese crisis will take place in two stages.

The roadmap suggested by the Front calls for confidence-building measures and releasing all political detainees, namely former members of the Empowerment Removal Committee.

It also wants to lift the state of emergency, ensure an end to violence against peaceful demonstrators, and form a neutral fact-finding committee to reveal the party behind the killing of the demonstrators.

He explained that the military is included in these measures and must begin releasing detainees and lifting the state of emergency to build confidence.

It must engage in a constructive dialogue between the parties to the Constitutional Document, Freedom and Change Forces, the peace parties, the resistance committees, and all the forces of the revolution to form the government.

Idris explained that this would help address the crisis that resulted from the recent developments and the return to the constitutional document and the democratic path.

The official stated that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the African Union (AU) would be the guarantors, facilitators, and mediators between the Sudanese parties in this initiative.

He explained that the Revolutionary Front is not a mediator but rather a partner, based on its position in the government and with all other powers.

If the first stage is completed successfully, the second stage will begin, said Idris, noting that it will include a comprehensive dialogue of all political forces, except for the National Conference, to discuss the elections, the constitutional conference, and the civil democratic transition.

Idris added that the initiative also addresses the form of the government and institutions, noting that dialogue could lead to a change in the form of the government, even if there are different opinions about the Sovereign Council, the Council of Ministers, and the Security and Defense Council.

The new government's priorities should be people's livelihood, peace, and preparation for elections, stressed Idris.

The Council member stressed that the ultimate purpose of the initiative is to save the country and rescue it from imminent collapse, adding that it is crucial to expedite the implementation of the initiative to ensure the dissolved National Congress would not return to the scene.



Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
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Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo

A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups was published on Saturday urging that rejected candidates be allowed to stand in the October 6 presidential election, Agence France Presse reported.

Signed by 26 groups including Legal Agenda, Lawyers Without Borders and the Tunisian Human Rights League, it welcomed an administrative court decision this week to reinstate three candidates who had been disqualified.

They are Imed Daimi, who was an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki, former minister Mondher Zenaidi and opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki.

The three were among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing in the election.

If they do take part, they will join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel in challenging incumbent President Kais Saied.

Saturday's petition was also signed by more than 180 civil society figures including Wahid Ferchichi, dean of the public law faculty at Carthage University.

It called the administrative court "the only competent authority to adjudicate disputes related to presidential election candidacies.”

The petition referred to statements by ISIE head Farouk Bouasker, who on Thursday indicated that the authority will soon meet to finalize the list of candidates, "taking into consideration judicial judgements already pronounced.”

This has been interpreted as suggesting the ISIE may reject new candidacies if they are the subject of legal proceedings or have convictions.

The administrative court's rulings on appeals "are enforceable and cannot be contested by any means whatsoever,” the petition said.

It called on the electoral authority to "respect the law and avoid any practice that could undermine the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”