In this photo provided by the Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council, Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, centre, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok hold documents during a ceremony to reinstate Hamdok, who was deposed last month, in Khartoum on November 21, 2021.
In this photo provided by the Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council, Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, centre, and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok hold documents during a ceremony to reinstate Hamdok, who was deposed last month, in Khartoum on November 21, 2021. Image Credit: AP

Abu Dhabi/Khartoum: The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said on its Twitter account on Monday that it welcomed the signing of a political agreement to complete the transitional phase in Sudan.

The deal was also welcomed by the international community including the United Nations and African Union, as well as the so-called Troika of the Britain, Norway and the United States. It was also greeted by Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

This came as Sudanese authorities released several civilian leaders detained since last month’s dissolution of government, a key plank in a deal aimed to restore a fragile transition process towards full democracy.

“I was released late yesterday evening,” the head of Sudan’s Congress Party Omar Al Degeir told AFP, who was among the civilians arrested in the October 25 ouster.

Other civilian politicians, including from the Umma party, Sudan’s largest political group, were also released.

Top general Abdel Fattah Al Burhan last month declared a state of emergency and ousted the government. It triggered a wave of mass street protests in which at least 41 people were killed, according to medical sources.

But on Sunday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok - who had also been put under effective house arrest - was released.

He and Burhan then formally signed a 14-point deal that provided for the premier’s reinstatement and for political detainees to be freed.

The deal raises hopes the strife-torn northeast African country will be able to return to its fragile transition process, that started after the 2019 ouster of veteran autocratic president Omar Al Bashir.