Sudan civilians reject army offer as ‘ruse’, urge more protests

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s main civilian bloc, the Forces for Freedom and Change, on Tuesday rejected a proposal by the country’s coup leader to make way for civilian rule as a "transparent manoeuvre" and urged more protests.

Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, whose power grab last October ousted the FFC, had vowed in a surprise move Monday to "make room" for civilian groups to form a new transition government.

But the FFC on Tuesday called for "continued public pressure" on the streets after days of protests and dismissed Burhan’s move as a "tactical retreat and a transparent manoeuvre". "The coup leader’s speech is a giant ruse, even worse than the October 25 coup," said FFC leader Taha Othman. "The crisis will end with the coup leaders resigning and the forces of the revolution forming a civil government."