Russia Opposes 'Any Foreign Intervention' In Sudan, Says Senior Official

A senior Russian diplomat has said Moscow is against "any foreign intervention" in Sudan, where more than 100 protesters have been killed in a military crackdown this week.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying on June 6 that dialogue and a compromise were needed to settle the crisis in the African nation.

"Naturally, in order to do that, you need for order to be imposed, and you need to fight against extremists and provocateurs who don't want the stabilization of the situation," Russian news agency RIA quoted Bogdanov as saying.

He did not say which forces he considered to be extremists and provocateurs.

"We are standing for all the issues being solved in the framework of the national dialogue based on consensus," TASS quoted him as saying.

"We are against any external intervention, the imposition of anything on the Sudanese."

He said Russian diplomats have been in touch with all political forces in the African country, including the opposition.

On June 3, troops and paramilitary forces in Sudan raided a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum, that had gathered opposition supporters calling for a transition to democracy.

According to medical sources, at least 108 people were killed in the attack, which followed weeks of talks between the ruling Transitional Military Council and democracy advocates.

Sudan has been engulfed in violence since the army drove President Omar al-Bashir from power in April after mass protests against his 30-year autocratic rule.

The council, which arrested Bashir, vowed to establish civilian rule after a transition period lasting no more than two years.

But opposition leaders have kept up the pressure for a quicker return to civilian rule.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and TASS