Military spokesman confirms joint committee formed to discuss points of succession with groups who lead the protests.

Sudan‘s ruling military council has met organisers of the protests that toppled former President Omar al-Bashir after they had suspended talks with the generals over the weekend.

The council said in a statement before Wednesday’s meeting that it was willing to discuss proposals from the coalition of groups behind the protests for an immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government.

“We agreed to form a joint committee, between us and them, to discuss these points of succession and to introduce a joint solution with the military council and the Alliance of Freedom and Change,” said Lieutenant General Shamseldin Kibashi, the Sudanese military council spokesman.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and its allies, who organised the four months of demonstrations that drove al-Bashir from power on April 11, accepted the invitation and met the council, an SPA spokesperson said.

The SPA plans to announce its own civilian transitional council during mass rallies on Thursday.

“We agreed to this meeting based on their positive position in the statement prior to the invitation to the Alliance of Freedom and Change. And honestly, it was started in a beautiful spirit,” said SPA spokesman Ahmed Rabie.

The military council later said three of its members resigned on Wednesday amid heightened tensions with the protest organisers.

The council said in a statement that Lieutenant General Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh, Police Lieutenant General al-Tayeb Babakr and Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abideen have stepped down from their posts.

The opposition has repeatedly called for their dismissal, describing them as representing the old regime of removed al-Bashir in the new government.