Sudan army rulers want to retain Sharia as legal guide

Representative image: Pexels/Tayeb MEZAHDIA

Sudan's army rulers Tuesday said Islamic law should remain as the guiding principle in a new civilian structure, after protest leaders handed in their proposals on changes they want enforced but kept silent on Sharia. The 10-member military council was handed proposals last week for the new civilian structures protest leaders want.

The military council told reporters that the generals overall agreed to the proposals but they had "many reservations."

This included the silence on Islamic Sharia law remaining the guiding principle of all laws.

"The declaration failed to mention the sources of legislation, and the Islamic sharia law and tradition should be the source of legislation," Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi, spokesman for the military council, told reporters.

Sudan, under ousted leader Omar al-Bashir, saw the Islamic law applied at random with the constitution saying that Sharia was the guiding principle.

This led to thousands of women being flogged for "indecent behaviour," according to women's rights activists. Thousands of protesters remain encamped outside the army complex, demanding that the army rulers step down and hand over power to a civilian administration.

The generals took power after the army ousted Bashir on April 11 following months of protests against his iron-fisted rule.

But since then the military council has resisted calls for handing over power to civilians, the main demand of protesters.