Sudanese protesters have turned down the United Nations’ offer of negotiations with the military.

Sudanese protesters have turned down the United Nations’ offer of negotiations with the military.

On Sunday, a key Sudanese protest group rejected a UN proposal to undertake negotiations with the military to restore the country’s democratic transition after an October coup.

Meanwhile, activists claim that at least one demonstrator was killed when security forces violently dispersed anti-coup protests in the capital.

The move is a setback for foreign efforts to end Sudan’s political impasse, and it suggests that the country’s raging street protests would likely continue. Since the military took control, more than 60 individuals have been killed.

The United Nations offer came a week after embattled Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned, claiming an inability to achieve an agreement with the generals and the pro-democracy movement.

Over two years after a popular uprising caused the military ouster of longstanding tyrant Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist regime, the Oct. 25 coup dashed hopes of a smooth transition.

The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which launched the uprising against al-Bashir, stated in a statement that the “only way” out of the situation is for the generals to be removed from office.

The motto “No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing” with the military emphasizes the need for a wholly civilian government to lead the transition.

The SPA, along with youth groups known as the Resistance Committees, has been at the forefront of anti-coup demonstrations.

According to activist Nazim Sirag, protesters continued their marches in Khartoum on Sunday, with security forces using tear gas to disperse crowds near the presidential palace.

Security officers also opened fire on demonstrators in the Bahri neighborhood of the city. At least one demonstrator was killed, while another was wounded in the leg, according to Sirag.

Healthcare workers who took part in Sunday’s protests requested that the government ensure hospital security, which has been regularly raided by security personnel during protests.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Committee said that a young protester died of his injuries in the hospital on Sunday. During protests in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman on Thursday, Alaa el-din Adel, 17, was shot in the neck.

The negotiations, according to Volker Perthes, the UN ambassador for Sudan, will be inclusive in order to find a “sustainable route forward towards democracy and peace” in the country.

“It is past time to put an end to the violence and begin a productive dialogue.” “This will be an inclusive approach,” he stated.

The SPA’s rejection is a setback to the envoy’s efforts to bring the generals and the pro-democracy movement to the bargaining table, even though the envoy has yet to provide details of the UN-facilitated political process.

In a news conference in Khartoum on Monday, Perthes plans to provide more details.

Perthes’ actions, according to the SPA, have been “controversial,” citing his support for a deal Hamdok struck with the military in November that reinstalled him but put the pro-democracy movement on the back burner.

“He must pay close attention to our patriotic people’s and revolutionary forces’ goals in creating totally civilian, national rule,” it read.

The United Nations initiative was greeted positively by world and regional powers.
According to the 2019 constructional agreement forming the transitional government, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates urged all Sudanese stakeholders to “seize this chance to restore the country’s transition to civilian democracy.”

Five nations — the United States, the United Kingdom, Albania, France, and Norway – have sought a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the situation in Sudan. It is expected to take place on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to diplomats.