Disagreements over security prevent army and civilian groups from launching Sudan’s unity government on time

The differences are a blow to efforts to restore civil authority ahead of elections

11 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Disagreements between the Sudanese Army and civil society groups over security reforms have meant that the parties have not been able to announce the date for the formation of the new unity government, which should have seen the light of day on Tuesday. , as a deadline, after the last postponements during the last weeks.

The calendar set by the parties after the framework agreement reached in December 2022 to reactivate the transition process contemplated that the new prime minister would be announced on April 11 together with the rest of the members of a civilian Executive that would assume powers from the Armed Forces. Armed.

However, the parties were unable to sign the final transition agreement during the days of April 1 and 6, the dates scheduled for this after the postponements, due to differences regarding the integration into the Armed Forces of the powerful Security Forces. Rapid Support (RSF), a paramilitary force headed by the current vice president of the Sovereign Transitional Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias ‘Hemedti’.

The deadlock in talks has set a blow to efforts to return power to civilian authorities, after a coup led in October 2021 by the head of the army and president of the Sovereign Transition Council, Abdelfatá al-Burhan, overthrew the then prime minister of unity, Abdalá Hamdok.

Hamdok was appointed to the position after a process of dialogue between the military, parties and civil organizations initiated as a result of the overthrow in April 2019 of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir with the aim of applying a series of reforms aimed at paving the way for the holding elections in the African country.

During his period at the head of the country, Hamdok launched a battery of social and economic reforms and reached a historic peace agreement in October 2020 with major rebel groups in Darfur and other areas of the country, although the Al Burhan coup gave ruined these efforts and plunged the country into a new political crisis.

The removal from power of Hamdok – who remained detained for several months – provoked a wave of massive demonstrations that were met with violence by the security forces, led by the RSF, and a flood of international criticism. Finally, Al Burhan and Hamdok reached an agreement for his reinstatement, although he later resigned condemning the violent repression of the social mobilizations.

The continued instability and international pressure finally led to a new talks process, mediated by a trilateral mechanism, after which the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, asked the parties to participate “in good faith” and “to continue working to create a suitable environment for a constructive dialogue in the interest of the Sudanese people”.

Within the framework of these meetings, the so-called “security reform panel” was created, which began talks at the end of March to draft an agreement that contemplated the unification of the military forces –including the reintegration of the RSF and former groups rebels– that would allow to solve the differences and allow the formation of the new government.

However, divisions within the security apparatus have prevented these efforts from bearing fruit on schedule, especially due to infighting between the Armed Forces and the RSF over a better position during the transition and with a view to establishing of a civil authority that governs the destiny of the country.

THE WEIGHT OF THE SECURITY DEVICE

The security apparatus has historically been very relevant in Sudan, a country that achieved its independence in 1956 and fell into the hands of a military junta after the coup d’état led in May 1969 by Colonel Yaafar al-Nimeiri, who was overthrown after a coup. in 1971 led by the Sudanese Communist Party and restored shortly thereafter by anti-communist elements of the Army.

Al Nimeiri remained in power until April 1985, when he was deposed in the midst of a campaign of civil disobedience that led to a new coup. After the 1986 elections, the leader of the Umma Party, Sadiq al Mahdi, was appointed as prime minister, although he was overthrown in 1989 in another coup, this time perpetrated by Al Bashir.

During the three decades of Al Bashir’s rule, marked by repression and corruption, the Army and other elements of the security apparatus monopolized economic sectors and companies with significant benefits, something that these actors are now reluctant to give up within the framework of the transition.

In addition, another of the factors that fuels tensions is the interest of both parties in retaining the largest possible parcel of power to try to somehow avoid accountability for the numerous abuses committed in recent decades, including the war in the region. from Darfur.

In fact, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has called on Khartoum on numerous occasions to hand over Al Bashir and others accused of genocide and crimes against humanity, something that has not materialized despite the promises of the transitional authorities. standing until Al Burhan’s coup.

On Al Bashir, sentenced in 2019 by a Sudanese court on corruption charges, there are two arrest warrants from the ICC for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The RSF have been accused of abuses and crimes during the war, as well as during the repression of the demonstrations that have taken place since the overthrow of the former president.

DEPLOYMENT IN KHARTOUM

In this context, ‘Hemedti’ would have ordered the dispatch of about 15 RSF armored vehicles to Khartoum “in the face of any type of emergency,” according to sources from this paramilitary formation quoted by the Sudanese news portal Sudan Tribune.

The armored vehicles were transferred on Monday from Zaruq, on the Libyan border, to the city of El Fasher for their deployment in the capital, which has been the scene in recent days of the arrival of numerous members of the RSF.

For this reason, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, urged last week all Sudanese forces to put aside “their personal interests and the positions in which they have entrenched” to defend the ” common interest of the population” of the country, which is “at a decisive crossroads” to reactivate its transition.

“We must not see a repetition of the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force,” Turk warned, who also called on the numerous civilian groups that have rejected this December framework agreement, understanding that it does not explicitly exclude the military from a future government — a of its main demands– that are incorporated into the process to facilitate its resolution.

For his part, Al Burhan stated last week that the political parties should step aside in case they are not able to reach a consensus that unlocks the situation. “We have witnessed controversies between the political groups and, frankly, I ask them to step aside,” he said, before betting on “giving space to others.”

“We have wasted four years repeating the same words and nobody wants to accept the other. Everyone wants the biggest piece of the cake,” he lamented, before opening the door to “a second option” derived from “the largest block of national consensus.” for the organization of elections. Al Burhan also stressed the need to “keep the Army out of politics.”