KHARTOUM – Sudan ruling Sovereign Council said army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Sunday lifted the state of emergency that had been imposed since last year’s military coup.
Sudan has been suffering from escalating unrest since Burhan led the October 25 coup and upended a fragile transition following the 2019 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.
Burhan “issued a decree lifting the state of emergency nationwide,” the council said in a statement.
The order was given to “prepare the atmosphere for a fruitful and meaningful dialogue that creates stability for the transition period,” it said.
Sunday’s decision came after a meeting with senior military officials who recommended lifting the state of emergency and freeing those held under an emergency law.
He also came after recent calls by UN special envoy Volker Perthes for a state of emergency to be lifted following the deaths of two protesters during anti-coup demonstrations on Saturday.
Sudan has been rocked by mass protests since the coup, which pro-democracy medical officials say have been met with a violent crackdown that has killed nearly 100 people and injured hundreds.
Hundreds of activists have also been arrested under emergency laws.
On Sunday, military officials also recommended allowing Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera’s live television unit to resume operations in Sudan after authorities banned it in January for “unprofessional” coverage of the protests.
The military takeover prompted widespread international condemnation and punitive action, including drastic aid cuts from Western governments pending the resumption of transition to civilian rule.
- Editor/ additional report by AFP
