The European Union on Tuesday welcomed the decision of Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, to lift a state of emergency that was imposed in the country following the October coup he led.
“The EU welcomes the announced lifting of the State of Emergency throughout the country and the release of detainees as commendable first steps in creating the much needed conducive environment for dialogue,” it said in a statement.
Last Sunday, Burhan announced lifting the state of emergency and the release of the detained activists to set the stage for meaningful intra-Sudanese talks facilitated by the trilateral mechanism of the UN, the African Union (AU) and regional bloc IGAD, to resolve the political crisis.
“Time is of the essence for Sudan’s efforts to find an inclusive and sustainable way out of the current crisis, which is severely affecting the population,” the EU statement said.
It called upon the authorities to continue their efforts to create a truly conducive environment for dialogue, by completing the release of those who were detained since last October 25, ensuring due process to those detainees who face criminal charges against them.
The EU also stressed the need to effectively end the violence against peaceful demonstrators, allowing them to enjoy their basic human rights of assembly and expression.
“It is crucial for alleged violations of human rights to be investigated and for perpetrators to be held to account,” it said.
The 27-member European bloc also noted that all parties must engage actively and constructively in the dialogue efforts, revealing their full support for Sudanese-led talks.
Meanwhile in Sudan, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) considered that Burhan’s steps must be followed by a
decision to end all the repressive measures that resulted from the “coup” and that empowered the isolated system.
“We urge an end of all the repressive measures the security forces used under the emergency law to disperse the peaceful protesters,” the Forces said.
Also, they demanded the release of all political detainees and to stop using the criminal charges against them for political purposes.
The FFC also affirmed its “continued positive interaction” with the UN-AU-IGAD process to end the coup and its consequences as well as to establish a new constitutional path of transition based on a full civilian authority.
On Monday, troika countries, Norway, the UK and the US, in addition to the tripartite mechanism of the UN, the AU and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development welcomed the release of detainees and lifting of the state of emergency and considered them as important steps to create the right environment for dialogue.
Mass demonstrations have rocked Sudan since Burhan led a military coup on October 25 that drew wide international condemnation.
Meanwhile, the UN Expert on Human Rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, is set to begin on Wednesday his official visit to the country, the UN announced Tuesday.
During his four-day visit, Dieng will meet with senior Sudanese government officials, representatives of civil society organizations, human rights defenders, heads of UN entities, and diplomats.
The UN official will also discuss the recommendations he made during his February visit to Khartoum and the issue of providing technical support and capacity building to enhance the human rights situation in Sudan.
This is Dieng’s second trip to Sudan.
