ADDIS ABABA – Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen urged Sudanese political stakeholders to find a peaceful solution through sober and rational dialogue. Speaking at a consultative meeting of the African Union in Cairo on Tuesday, Demeke said “Ethiopia has full confidence in the wisdom of our Sudanese brothers and sisters to overcome this difficult moment, and secure the sovereignty and political independence of the Sudanese nation”.
Ethiopia, he said, is always ready to support the Sudanese people, while fully adhering to the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of Sudan. The Deputy Prime Minister further said that Ethiopia welcomes the ongoing efforts made by the African Union. “Ethiopia as the chair of IGAD, and together with its entire membership is fully committed to work closely with the African Union to help find an African solution to the current situation in Sudan,” he added.
The meeting decided that Sudan’s Transitional Military Council should transfer power to a civilian government. Given that the ultimatum previously set by the AU is only seven days away, the meeting also decided that the Transitional Military Council should be given some additional time to finalize the transfer of power to a civilian government. Egypt and representatives from several other African nations agreed on “the need for more time” for Sudanese authorities and political actors “to implement peaceful, organized and democratic transition measures”, it said in a statement.
They also urged the African Union to extend by three months a deadline, currently the end of April, for Sudan’s military council to hand power to a civilian authority or face suspension from the regional bloc. That would partially ease international pressure on the council to hand over to civilian rule. The army toppled longtime president Omar al-Bashir on April 11, but protestors have continued to hold mass rallies demanding a swift transition to a non-military government calls the council has so far resisted.
“We agreed today into the urgent restoration of a constitutional system through a democratic, political transition owned and led by the Sudanese themselves,” said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who currently chairs the AU. The meeting, which was also attended by Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the leaders of Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda and South Africa, aimed at addressing the situation in Sudan.
The Ethiopian Herald April 25/2019
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
