KHARTOUM, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan's decision to lift the state of emergency and release the political detainees has been widely welcomed as the country has been plagued by political turmoil for months.
The tripartite mechanism of the United Nations, the African Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development on Monday welcomed the decision "as positive steps to create the conditions needed for reaching a peaceful resolution for the current political impasse."
The mechanism said in a statement that it encouraged all stakeholders to be prepared for a constructive dialogue in good faith on a political solution and a peaceful way out of the current crisis.
Sudan's National Umma Party, a major party in the opposition Freedom and Change Alliance, also regarded lifting the state of emergency as a positive step.
"The decisions to lift the state of emergency is a positive step toward building confidence," Al-Wathiq Al-Birair, secretary-general of the Umma party, said in a statement.
Al-Birair hoped that the decision would be implemented and that citizens would be allowed the right to peaceful expression to open the way for a serious political process.
Sudanese security authorities have released a number of political detainees after Al-Burhan issued a decree lifting the state of emergency in the country on Sunday.
According to the Sudanese Emergency Lawyers Committee, Sudanese authorities freed "63 revolutionaries" on Monday, 24 of whom were held at Port-Sudan prison, nine at Dabak prison, and 30 at Kosti prison.
According to the committee, there are still detainees at Suba prison, including 24 people from Al-Kalakla neighborhood who were arrested on Saturday during demonstrations in the capital Khartoum.
The decision to lift the state of emergency was to "prepare the atmosphere for a fruitful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period," Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council said in a statement.
Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after Al-Burhan, also the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021 and dissolved the sovereign council and the government.
Since then, Khartoum and other cities have been witnessing continued protests demanding a return to civilian rule. ■