Ethiopian leader tries to mediate in Sudan

ETHIOPIA’S PRIME minister has met Sudan’s ruling generals and protest leaders in a bid to revive negotiations amid a crackdown on demonstrations that has killed more than 100 people since Monday.

Prime minister Abiy Ahmed, a young reformist who assumed office a year ago, has been at the centre of high-profile diplomatic efforts in the Horn of Africa region, including a surprise restoration of diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and rival Eritrea.

He arrived in Sudan as the crisis following the overthrow of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir turned increasingly violent.

The military removed al-Bashir from power in April after months of mass protests, but has resisted the protesters’ demands for an immediate handover of power to civilians.

On Monday, security forces violently dispersed the main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, and similar clashes have erupted in other cities and towns.

The African Union, based in Ethiopia, suspended Sudan on Thursday and threatened “punitive sanctions” if the military does not quickly relinquish power.

Mr Abiy met General AbdelFattah Burhan, the head of the ruling council, as well as protest leaders.

In a phone interview with Saudi-owned satellite channel al-Arabiya, protest leader Gaafar Hassan declined to discuss the meeting in detail, saying: “The (military) council has lost its political as well as its ethical legitimacy and we cannot deal with it, but we call for its ouster,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from the military council or the Ethiopian prime minister.

The Sudan Doctors’ Central Committee, one of the protest groups, said at least 113 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded since Monday.