Sudan military council says it has no ambition to stay in power
*Says ex-President won’t be extradited to be tried in ICC
*As Germany calls for “peaceful solution”
The Head of Provisional Military Political Council in Sudan, Omar Zein al-Abideen, has said that the army has “no ambition to hold the reins of power”.
He stressed that “we are ready to step down as early as a month if a government is formed”.
Addressing a news conference Thursday in the capital, Khartoum, al-Abideen who spoke for the military class said that the two-year transition period can be as short as one month if managed “without chaos” amid demands for a civilian-led government.
He said Sudan will not extradite deposed President Omar el-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial.
He said the former president will instead be tried and judged in Sudan.
Bashir, who is sought by the ICC for human rights violations in Sudan’s Darfur region, is currently held in an undisclosed prison, according to al-Abideen.
“We have our own judiciary … We will not extradite any Sudanese citizens. It’s a dark spot in our history if we extradite him,” he said.
In the meantime, Germany’s foreign ministry has called for a peaceful solution to crisis in Sudan following President Omar el-Bashir’s ouster.
“We are calling on all sides to exercise restraint, as we need a peaceful solution to the crisis, which fulfils the expectation of the Sudanese people for a political change,” Christofer Burger, deputy spokesman for the foreign ministry, said.
“It is important that the protests can proceed peacefully, and any use of violence against demonstrators is not acceptable,” he said at a news conference in Berlin.
