Former top Sudanese officials released from detention, lawyers say

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Former Sudanese Sovereign Council member Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman and other top politicians have been released from detention, lawyers confirmed on Wednesday.

Suleiman, along with prominent figures Wagdi Salih, Babiker Faisal and Taha Othman, as well as former cabinet minister Khalid Omer Yousif who was released yesterday, were all arrested earlier this year on corruption charges stemming from their work on a committee working to dismantle the country’s former regime.

Military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had hinted at releasing the men as a trust-building move, one of several steps demanded by Western countries and political parties.

The civilian coalition they represented, which had been sharing power until an Oct. 25 coup by the military, described them as political detainees, a charge military leaders, who were critical of the committee’s work, deny.

The case against the men remains open, the lawyers said.

Burhan has not yet appointed a new prime minister as numerous initiatives on coming to an agreement with political parties have not come to fruition. Donors have demanded a credible civilian government to restart much-needed aid blocked after the coup.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Alex Richardson and Toby Chopra)