Egypt Calls for Talks in Sudan as Military Rulers Try to Disperse Sit-In

By Staff, Agencies

Egypt on Monday urged all sides in Sudan to return to the negotiating table as security forces moved to break up a weeks-long protest camp in Khartoum.

Violence erupted at the sit-in outside the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital earlier in the day leaving at least nine protesters dead, according to medics.

Thousands have been camped at the site calling on Sudan's ruling generals to hand over power to civilians following the ouster of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April.

The military council has denied multiple reports of its forces violently dispersing the sit-in.

"Egypt is following with great interest the developments in Sudan," the ministry said in a statement.

"Egypt also underscores the importance that all Sudanese sides commit to calm, self-restraint and return to the negotiating table," it added.

The move to disperse the sit-in comes after the head of Sudan's ruling military council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, paid visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt last week.

Sudan's generals, backed by the key Arab powers, have resisted calls from African and Western governments to hand over the reins of power.

Multiple rounds of talks between the generals and protest leaders have broken down over whether a planned transitional body would be headed by a civilian or a military figure.