Sudan's army chief, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok are hampering the mediation efforts of the UN Special Envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, to resolve the political crisis in the country, sources in Khartoum said.
According to the sources, Hamdok stipulates that the dismissed government with its entire staff must return to their posts, all detained ministers and political leaders must be released, and calls for full commitment to the constitutional document before entering into dialogue with the army.
As for Burhan, he wants to form a government of technocrats.
However, the Forces of Freedom and Change, which includes the main national parties, supports Hamdok's demands and adheres to his return as head of the civilian government.
British ambassador Simon Manley stressed the urgent need for the top UN rights body to discuss the situation in Sudan since the army's October 25 power grab.
"We request that the Human Rights Council hold a special session this week to address the human rights implications of the ongoing situation in the Republic of Sudan," he said in a letter.
"A special session is needed because of the importance and urgency of the situation."
The Forces of Freedom and Change took a unanimous decision to bring down the "military coup," demanding justice for the martyrs and the injured.
The Central Council, the highest political body of the Forces, held a meeting at the National Umma Party in Omdurman, discussing the current situation.
The Council issued a statement demanding the return of the prime minister and his government to carry out their duties under the constitutional document, the immediate release of all detainees, and a return to the constitutional system that existed before October 25.
It affirmed its categorical rejection of any dialogue or negotiation with the army leadership.
Meanwhile, a South Sudan delegation, led by presidential advisor Tut Gatluak, met with Burhan and Hamdok to mediate between the military and the civilian leaders.
Burhan received a message from the President of South Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, dealing with Sudan's security, stability, and peace.
The Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) stated that during his meeting with Gatluak, Burhan lauded the significant role of South Sudan to support and ensure the success of the transitional period and its keenness to protect the achievements of the December Revolution and aspirations of the Sudanese people.
Gatluak said President Salva Kiir is monitoring the recent developments closely and with great concern, calling on all the parties to overcome the current political crisis.
He announced that the South Sudan delegation would hold several meetings with Hamdok and the Forces of Freedom and Change to discuss the root of the problem and bridge differences among all political parties.
Meanwhile, authorities rearrested Ibrahim Ghandour, head of Sudan's disbanded former ruling National Congress Party, a day after his release. Other Islamist allies of former president Omar al-Bashir were also released from prison.
Their release following the coup had come under criticism from opponents of military rule.
Burhan also dismissed the Public Prosecutor and seven prosecutors, while sources said that releasing these people came from the Prosecution without any official confirmation.
The government spokesman's office, still aligned with civilian authorities who were removed last week, said in a statement that the releases of the Bashir-era figures "represent a setback against the state of institutions and the rule of law."
"This step makes clear the political cover for the coup and its real ideological orientation," the office said.
Military authorities did not respond to the request of the office of lawyer Ali Mahmoud Hassanein to interview detained civil leaders.
The US Embassy in Khartoum said it monitored a military raid on a resistance committee in the al-Shajara al-Hamdas neighborhood in Khartoum on October 31 resulted in an unknown number of arrests and injuries.
Movement in and around Khartoum has improved since October 30, said the statement, noting that the Embassy has received unverified reports that several bridges are open while others remain blocked by the military.
"Military checkpoints remain in place, and protesters continue to form their own roadblocks in and around Khartoum. The Embassy has received reports that the road connecting Egypt and Sudan has been blocked by protesters."
"The road to Port Sudan is reportedly no longer blocked by the Beja Tribal Council, but it is not yet confirmed that the route is accessible," it reported.
