Sudanese ruling council’s head and military leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Sunday issued a decree lifting the state of emergency in all parts of the country, reported Reuters. The army had imposed a state of emergency following a coup on October 25 last year.
In a statement, the transitional ruling council Council said the decision was taken to create the right atmosphere for “a fruitful and meaningful dialogue that achieves stability during 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 imprisoned under an emergency law be freed.
It also came after the United Nations special representative Volker Perthes called for removing the state of emergency, following the killing of two protesters during anti-coup protests on Saturday. One was shot by security forces and the other suffocated after inhaling tear gas, said the Sudan Doctors Committee.
Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after Al-Burhan, who is also the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, declared a state of emergency on October 25, 2021, and dissolved the sovereign council and the government. The military takeover led to widespread international condemnation and punitive measures, including aid cuts by Western governments pending the resumption of the transition to civilian rule.
Since then, the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other cities have been witnessing continued protests demanding a return to civilian rule.
The ongoing mass protests have been met by a violent crackdown that has left nearly 100 people dead and hundreds wounded, according to pro-democracy medics. Hundreds of protesters and activists have also been detained in the clampdown under emergency laws.
The United Nations, the African Union and the regional bloc IGAD have all been working hard to facilitate Sudanese-led talks to resolve the crisis.
