Sudan's Military Has Called For Elections to Happen Within Nine Months

Tensions are high in Sudan after security forces used live ammunition to disperse protesters yesterday. At least 13 protesters were reportedly killed and over 116 wounded in the capital city of Khartoum. This was the worst violence experienced by the country since President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April.

After removing al-Bashir from power, Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) proposed a power-transfer deal where power would transition to civilians after a period of three years so long as "chaos could be avoided" according to Reuters. However, because of the alleged proximity of the TMC's leaders to al-Bashir, Sudanese civilians rejected this deal, demanding that they be at the helm of the transition of power instead.

READ: Three Major Figures from Sudan's Transitional Military Council Have Stepped Down

Weeks-long protests which culminated into yesterday's deadly crackdown have finally forced the military's hand. They have called for elections to be held within the next nine months, setting aside the power-transfer deal completely.

According to the BBC, the head of the TMC, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said in a television broadcast that they would "stop negotiating with the Alliance for Freedom and Change and cancel what had been agreed on" and that the election in the next nine months would occur under "regional and international supervision".

There are fears of continued violence and the possibility of the old regime returning.