Sudan's main alliance of opposition groups says indirect negotiations mediated by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are progressing.

Abiy visited Khartoum last week and met with political groups and protest leaders. The Ethiopian leader also met the military council.

Ismail Al-Taj, the spokesman of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), an umbrella organization of pro-democracy groups, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that indirect talks are progressing and they hope that results would be released soon.

He further said peace talks have not yet made enough progress to justify the start of face-to-face negotiations with military rulers.

“We have not yet started direct talks with the military council. There is a political deadlock after the deadly raid that was carried out last week, so we cannot hold direct talks now,” he said, adding the environment was not conducive for direct negotiations.

However, he said the mediator is trying to encourage fruitful talks.

Al-Taj noted that the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Sudanese Professionals Association will submit the names of their candidates for the sovereignty council and the cabinet when the parties achieve a breakthrough.

 “As soon as the mediator announces the results, we will move positively to announce the names of our candidates for the sovereignty council and the cabinet,” he said.

According to Al-Taj, the nationwide civil disobedience campaign started by the main protest groups will be ended as soon as the parties reach a consensus.

The spokesman condemned the deportation of three members of the opposition detained by the military in Khartoum last week in the wake of the deadly attack on protesters outside the military headquarters.

 Yasir Arman, the deputy head of the SPLM-North faction led by Malik Aga, was deported to South Sudan along with the opposition movement’s secretary general Ismail Khamis Jalab and its spokesperson Mubarak Ardol.

Last week, the African Union's Peace and Security Council suspended Sudan from all AU activities until a civilian government has been formed.