AU urges transfer of power in Sudan

Sudan's military rulers face pressure from demonstrators and Western governments to hand power to a new civilian government.

The military took the power last weekend after ousting former president Omar al-Bashir following months of civilian protests against his 30-year-old rule.

In a telephone call to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany will support the Sudanese people's demand for a civilian administration, according to Xinhua News Agency. Sisi said Egypt was closely following developments in Sudan and backs the choice of the people.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council called on Sudan's military to transfer power to a civilian-led government within 15 days or face suspension from the continental body.

In a communique, the AU called for the return to constitutional order and said Sudan must hold democratic elections as soon as possible.

Should the army fail to do this and suspension takes effect, Sudan would be the sixth country, after Egypt, Madagascar, the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau and Mali to be suspended from the organization. The countries have however been reinstated.

According to experts, the suspension is normally the AU's response to any interruption of constitutional rule by a member country. The country will actually be suspended from all branches of the AU and cannot participate in Africa's internal affairs, said Robert Otieno, a consulting analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya.

At home, the Sudanese Professionals' Association, or SPA, called on Monday for the transitional military council that has taken power to be disbanded and for a new interim civilian ruling council to be formed, Reuters reported.

A new interim civilian body should be given full executive powers, with the armed forces having representation, and the Transitional Military Council that took over last week should be dissolved, the SPA said.

"If our demand for the formation of a civilian transitional council with military representation is not met, we will not be part of the executive authority, the cabinet, and we will continue the mass escalation and the sit-ins to fulfill our demands," Ahmed al-Rabie, an SPA member, said.

Cavince Adhere, a China-Africa relations expert, said the AU has a role to play in staving off further chaos in Sudan.

"The AU, like any other mindful external actor, has the responsibility to push for speedy, peaceful and constitutional resolution of the stalemate in Sudan."

He noted that it is unclear how long the standoff between the military and the people will last.

He said a quick transition to civilian rule would avert further polarization of the country.

"All progressive voices both in and out of Sudan must therefore synergize their efforts to ensure a legitimate and people-centered government is operational soonest," he said.