KHARTOUM: On Wednesday, the top US diplomat for Africa joined an international effort to press Sudan’s military rulers and the opposition toward a deal on a transition to democracy following the toppling of Bashir.

An African Union (AU) envoy said mediation efforts to ease Sudan’s crisis are making “significant progress.”

Ethiopia and the US have recently stepped up diplomatic efforts to ease Sudan’s growing tensions. 

The AU envoy to Sudan, Mohammed El-Hacen Lebatt, declined to elaborate on where the mediation talks were headed, saying during a news conference in Khartoum that it was up to the two sides to disclose the outcome of the talks.

The head of Sudan’s ruling military council met with US diplomats in Khartoum and the AU envoy to Sudan on Thursday, the council said.

The ruling Transitional Military Council said Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan met with Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary for Africa, and veteran diplomat Donald Booth, who was appointed US envoy to Sudan on Wednesday.

Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday the military council and leaders of the protest movement had agreed to resume their talks soon, “in good-faith to iron-out the remaining outstanding points.” 

Those points include setting up a government council to run Sudan during a transition period. 

The ministry said both sides also agreed to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and de-escalate tensions, and that the military council would undertake confidence-building measures including the release of political prisoners.

However, Tarek Abdel Meguid, a leader of The Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change (FDFC), said the direct talks with the military had yet to resume.