Thousands of Sudanese pro-military protesters rallied Wednesday against a UN bid to resolve a political crisis in the country three months after a coup, according to Local News reports.
The demonstrators gathered outside the Khartoum office of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, or UNITAMS, which launched talks with Sudanese factions this month.
Banners could be seen which read, “Down, down UN”, and others that urged United Nations special representative Volker Perthes to “Go back home”.
On January 10, Perthes said the consultations aimed “to support the Sudanese to reach an agreement on a way out of the current crisis”. But he added that “the UN is not coming up with any project, draft or vision for a solution”.
Sudan has been rocked by a deadly crackdown against protests calling for civilian rule since an October 25 military coup led by general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The country’s latest military takeover derailed a power-sharing transition between the army and civilians that had been painstakingly negotiated after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
The ruling Sovereign Council formed by Burhan after the coup with himself as chairman, has welcomed the UN-led dialogue, as have the United States, Britain, neighbouring Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The Forces for Freedom and Change, Sudan’s main civilian bloc, has also said it would join consultations “to restore the democratic transition”.
In a Wednesday press conference, FFC leader Omar al-Degeir called on the international community to stand by “the Sudanese people to achieve its demands to reverse the coup.”
Sudan’s authorities have repeatedly denied using live ammunition against demonstrators, and insist scores of security personnel have been wounded during the protests.
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