By John Ikani
Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Sunday lifted a state of emergency imposed since last year’s military coup.
A statement issued by the ruling sovereign council said the order was made “to prepare the atmosphere for a fruitful and meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period.”
The decision came after a meeting with senior military officials recommending that people detained under the emergency law be freed.
It also came after the latest calls by UN special representative Volker Perthes for removing the state of emergency, following the killing of two protesters during anti-coup protests on Saturday.
Sudan has been reeling from deepening unrest since Burhan led the October 25 coup, upending a fragile transition following the 2019 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir.
The military takeover triggered widespread international condemnation and punitive measures, including crucial aid cuts by Western governments pending the resumption of the transition to civilian rule.
Protests against the military government have continued since the coup in October.
Clashes with police have killed nearly 100 people since then.
In recent days security forces have arrested many protesters, targeting the leaders of the resistance movement.
Burhan has pledged to free political prisoners to set the stage for talks among Sudanese factions.
Last month, Sudanese authorities released several anti-coup civilian leaders arrested in the crackdown.
On Sunday, military officials also recommended allowing the live TV unit of the Qatar-based network Al Jazeera to resume operations in Sudan, after authorities banned it in January.
