Sudan's ruling military council has for the first time admitted it ordered the dispersal of Khartoum sit-in, which left scores dead, as US and African diplomats stepped up efforts for a solution to the country's political crisis.
The Transitional Military Council (TMC) had "decided to disperse the sit-in", said spokesman Shams al-Din Kabashi on Thursday.
Protesters had staged the weeks-long sit-in outside the army headquarters in Khartoum overthrowing long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in April.
But the pro-democracy protesters have continued their agitation demanding the TMC, which took over from al-Bashir, hand power to a civilian-led transitional body.
On June 3, days after talks between protest leaders and the military collapsed, armed men in military fatigues broke up the camp in an operation that doctors said left 120 people dead. Doctors said that at least 40 bodies were recovered from the Nile River.
The health ministry has put the nationwide death toll for that day at 61.
"We ordered the commanders to come up with a plan to disperse this sit-in. They made a plan and implemented it ... but we regret that some mistakes happened," TMC spokesman Kabashi said on Thursday.
