The move comes as the UN is working to find a way out of a political impasse since the military seized power in late October.
Sudan’s army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has ordered the release of four civilian ministers detained since he led a military coup last week, state-run television said.
“The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has ordered the release of Hashem Hassab Alrasoul, Ali Geddo, Hamza Baloul, Youssef Adam,” Sudan TV said on Thursday.
Alrasoul is telecommunications minister, Geddo heads the trade ministry, Baloul is information minister, and Adam holds the youth and sports portfolio.
The United Nations has been coordinating efforts to find a way out of the country’s political crisis following the October 25 coup in which top civilian politicians were detained and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was placed under house arrest.
The UN special envoy for Sudan said talks had yielded the outline of a potential deal on a return to power-sharing, including Hamdok’s reinstatement. But it had to be agreed in “days not weeks” before both sides’ positions harden.
Thursday’s announcement about the four ministers came a day after Hamdok’s office denied a report he had agreed to lead a new government and insisted that he wanted detainees released and governing bodies restored before entering into any dialogue.
Neighbourhood resistance committees, which have led protests since the coup and held demonstrations on Thursday, reject negotiations and have demanded that the military exit politics.
The coup was a setback for Sudan’s transition towards democracy two years into a fragile power sharing agreement between members of the military and civilians established after the removal of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir two years ago.
The military move triggered widespread international condemnation with the US and the World Bank cutting aid to pressure the military into releasing Hamdok and his detained colleagues.