Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, abolished the state of emergency established following last year's military coup, according to the ruling sovereign council.

Burhan "issued a decree lifting the state of emergency nationwide," the council said in a statement.

The order was made "to prepare the atmosphere for a fruitful and meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period," it added. 

The decision was made on Sunday following a meeting with senior military officials who recommended that the state of emergency be repealed and those arrested under emergency law be released.

It also came after the latest calls for the state of emergency to be lifted by UN special representative Volker Perthes, following the death of two demonstrators during anti-coup demonstrations on Saturday.

Protests in Sudan

Since the coup, Sudan has been rocked by enormous protests, which have been met with a violent crackdown that has left about 100 people dead and hundreds injured, according to pro-democracy medics. Hundreds of activists have also been arrested as part of the emergency law crackdown.

Military officials also suggested on Sunday that the live TV unit of the Qatar-based network Al Jazeera begin operations in Sudan after authorities barred it from doing so in January for "unprofessional" coverage of protesters.

Sudan has been reeling from escalating instability since Burhan spearheaded the October 25 coup, upending a delicate transition following President Omar Al-Bashir's ousting in 2019.

The military takeover sparked significant international condemnation and severe actions, including critical aid cuts by Western nations until the transition to civilian governance could resume.

Read next: Al-Burhan: Sudan Army to hand over power 'only' to elected government

Sudan, one of the poorest countries on the planet, is also suffering from a collapsing economy as a result of decades of international isolation and mismanagement under Bashir.

Moreover, the UN, along with the African Union and the regional bloc IGAD, has been pushing for Sudanese-led talks to end the situation. Western governments have supported the UN-AU-IGAD bid and urged Sudanese sides to participate.