Sudan military handed three month deadline for 'democratic reforms' by African Union

Leaders of several African nations have given Sudan's transitional military council a deadline of three months to implement "democratic reforms" or the country will face suspension from the African Union (AU), Egypt's state news agency reported on Tuesday.

The AU earlier this month gave the transitional military council a deadline of 15 days - or until the end of April - to allow a civilian-led government to take power, warning Sudan would be suspended from the AU if it did not do so.

At a summit organised by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, leaders and other officials from Chad, Rwanda, Congo, South Africa, Somalia and other African nations discussed the "evolution of the situation in Sudan".

Sudan's military seized power in a coup earlier this month, overthrowing former president Omar al-Bashir, after months of popular protests against his rule.

Protesters continue to hold a mass sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum and demonstrations across the country, calling on the military to transfer power to a civilian body immediately.

Protesters are wary of martial rule and have explicitly rejected foreign interference, specifically from the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The transitional military council has said its rule will last for two years, after which the country will hold elections for the formation of a civilian government, although leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has said that it may be possible to transfer power to a civilian body sooner if the council is presented with an adequate plan.

Speaking at the end of the summit, Sisi said there was a need for Sudan to "quickly restore the constitutional system through a political democratic process led and managed by the Sudanese themselves".

"We agreed on the need to give more time to Sudanese authorities and Sudanese parties to implement these measures," the president, who also currently holds the rotating AU presidency, said.

He also cautioned Sudan's military leadership to "safeguard the state's institutions...in order to prevent a slide into chaos".

Suspension from the AU would be a blow as Sudan's military rulers seek international recognition.

Sudan's new security chief Abu Bakr Mustafa met Sisi earlier on Tuesday and delivered a letter from Burhan, Egyptian media reported.