Hamdoka, who has been detained since the coup, can only be met in the presence of a military escort, sources who spoke exclusively to CNN on Sunday said. However, the military allows international and local brokers to meet with him as pressure from the U.S. and other international actors to release him increases.
Sources close to the prime minister and talks on mediation outlined four steps that need to be taken to restore order in the country and to resume negotiations on Sunday, saying Hamdok’s release and return to the “status quo” must begin.
“The prime minister acknowledges that the situation has been unsustainable, but the change had to happen through a political process,” one source said.
Hamdok is now calling for a renewal of the political process that will lead to the restructuring of the sovereign world to have full authority and independence in forming a cabinet of politically independent technocrats of their choice and expanding political participation for greater representation, the source said.
“Without this recognition and without a commitment to return to how it was, the prime minister will not negotiate. He refuses to resign voluntarily as prime minister,” the source said.
The source added that the army’s position makes negotiations more difficult.
“What is currently hampering the talks is that the military leadership is united in its current conduct and in the belief that it is not a coup but a‘ correction of the revolution ’, that is, part of the political process,” the source said.
Opposition is growing
A nationwide campaign of civil disobedience in Sudan stopped the country’s capital on Saturday, and the streets were full of protesters shouting anti-military slogans and waving banners against coups.
The protests were called by the Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) activist coalition, which is demanding the restoration of a transitional civilian government in the country, and called on protesters to join the “march of millions of people” against the military takeover.
“We are here to tell the world that we will not accept any military interference that would decide the fate of our country,” one protester in Khartoum said on Saturday.
Protesters also called for Burhan’s resignation.
According to the Central Committee of Sudanese Physicians (CCSD), which is coordinated with the civilian component of the now-disbanded Sovereign Council, the military has taken violent measures to suppress demonstrations, killing at least three people and wounding at least 100 others.
The CCSD reported that people were injured during the protests when the military fired live bullets and used tear gas at protesters in several areas across the country to disperse crowds.
Protesters called for continued protests Sunday night despite a military response. Civil disobedience campaigns continue across the country, and many shops and banks are still closing their doors in protest of the coup.
The coup was strongly condemned by world leaders, including those from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the African Union and the United Nations, who called on all stakeholders to return to the process of democratic transition in the country.
On Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he welcomed “the courage of so many people who peacefully protested against military rule”.
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