03/06/2019 (Agence Europe) – The spokesperson of the European External Action Service, Maja Kocijancic, called on the Sudanese Transitional Military Council to “respect the rights of people to express their concerns in a peaceful manner, without fear of threats or the use of violence against them”, on Monday 3 June at the European Commission's lunchtime meeting. This statement comes a few hours after the Alliance for Freedom and Change, the spearhead of the protests in the country, accused the currently ruling military regime (see EUROPE 12235/14) of violently dispersing demonstrators camped outside their headquarters, causing, according to a provisional assessment, at least 9 deaths. “The priority for the European Union remains the rapid transfer of power to a civilian-led authority, which the African Union has also called for”, Ms Kocijancic also reiterated. (DG - internship)