KHARTOUM (AFP) - The Sudanese government has reportedly agreed to negotiate with the opposition Beja Congress as the legitimate representative of the people of eastern Sudan as demanded by rioters in Port Sudan last month.

AFP/File Photo

This was announced by Red Sea State Governor Hatim al-Wasila al-Sammani after he briefed President Omar al-Beshir on the situation following riots, in which police killed at least 14 civilian demonstrators, SUNA news agency said.

Major General Sammani said the meeting centered on overcoming the crisis "through political action by negotiating with the Beja Congress in addition to enhancing development operations in the fields of food security and alleviating poverty."

He said a committee set up to investigate the incidents began by questioning him and would carry on with its mission for "pinpointing and punishing everyone who proved to have acted beyond his powers or failed to meet his responsibilities."

The governor also told SUNA that work is progressing satisfactorily on a project for linking the state with the national power grid, as well as on roads that link Port Sudan with Egypt and with Khartoum.

The Beja Congress claims to be the sole representative of eastern Sudan.

It withdrew from the opposition umbrella National Democratic Alliance, amid charges that its demands were not being taken into account in negotiations with Khartoum.

The Cairo-based NDA and the government forged a preliminary agreement following a January peace accord between Khartoum and southern rebels.

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