Outside mediation is needed to defuse Sudan’s crisis because the ruling military council and opposition distrust each other too deeply for direct talks following a deadly raid on a protest camp, the top US diplomat for Africa said on Friday. The two parties absolutely do not trust each other in any way,” Mr Nagy said. While in Khartoum, Nagy met opposition groups and civil society as well as military council head Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. ‘Frank’ exchangeThe conversation with Burhan “was about as frank and direct as possible – it was quite an exchange of views and obviously we did not agree on some of the key points,” Mr Nagy said. Shams El Din Kabbashi, the military council spokesman, said on Thursday there had been excesses and deviations from a plan devised after the council ordered military leaders to clear the sit-in.

Source: The Irish Times June 15, 2019 10:41 UTC