The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency in Sudan, reported The Print.
During a press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the move is an important step to create a conducive environment for direct, intra Sudanese talks to end the ongoing political crisis in the country.
“We encourage the authorities to complete the release of political detainees,” the spokesman said.
He added that the UN has urged Sudanese stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue in good faith to find a way out of this crisis.
Dujarric said that the trilateral mechanism consisting of the UN mission in Sudan, UNITAMS, the African Union and the Inter-governmental Authority on Development will work collaboratively to help facilitate a solution and to find a way to end the political impasse in Sudan.
On Sunday, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan lifted the state of emergency which was imposed after last year’s military coup. As per reports, the step was taken to prepare the atmosphere for a fruitful and meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period.
The decision to lift the state of emergency was announced after a meeting with senior military officials recommending the state of emergency be lifted and people detained under an emergency law be freed.
It also came after UN special representative Volker Perthes called for removing the state of emergency, following the killing of two protesters during anti-coup protests on Saturday.
Sudan has been rocked by mass protests since the coup, which has been met by a violent crackdown that has left nearly 100 people dead and hundreds wounded.
The UN, along with the African Union (AU) and regional bloc IGAD, has been pushing to facilitate Sudanese-led talks to resolve the crisis. Western governments have backed the UN-AU-IGAD bid and urged Sudanese factions to participate in the process.
