Parties to political process in Sudan postpone signing final agreement
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Political parties in Sudan sign an agreement providing for the establishment of a transitional civil authority in the country.
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Sudan's General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, answers questions during an interview, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in New York. (AP)
Sudan's political process parties decided to postpone the signing of a final agreement providing for the establishment of a transitional civil authority in the country, Khalid Omer Yousif, the spokesperson for the signatories to the political settlement, stated.
The final agreement was set to be signed on April 1, after which a transitional constitution was to be adopted on April 6.
"At exactly 1 p.m. [11:00 GMT] on Saturday, April 1, a meeting will be held at the Palace of the Republic, which will bring together the civil and military parties that signed the framework agreement... to set a new date for the signing of the final political agreement, which could not be signed on the appointed date due to a lack of consensus on some unresolved issues," Khalid Omer Yousif said on Twitter.
الذي تعذر توقيعه في ميقاته نسبة لعدم التوصل لتوافق حول بعض القضايا العالقة.
— Khalid Omer Yousif (@KHOYousif) April 1, 2023
ستواصل جميع الأطراف انخراطها في مناقشات جادة، من أجل تجاوز العقبات الأخيرة في طريق الوصول لإتفاق يسترد مسار التحول المدني الديمقراطي،+
The agreement to establish a transitional civil government in Sudan was signed in December in Khartoum, during a meeting with Sudan's Sovereignty Council General, Abdel Fattah Burhan, opposition leaders, and international mediators. The agreement appoints a prime minister and a two-year transition phase, followed by elections.
Sudanese military forces led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan overthrew the government in a military coup in October 2021, declaring a state of emergency and establishing a transitional sovereign council under his guidance.
Following protests, Burhan was compelled to sign a pact that called for the reinstatement of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, the release of all political prisoners, elections in July 2023, and the transfer of power to an elected civilian government. However, the political crisis continued, and Hamdok resigned on January 2, 2022.
Earlier this year, Al-Burhan said on January 8th that the army will not "interfere in the transitional phase" in the country.
Al-Burhan stressed during a speech marking the launch of the final phase of the political process in Sudan that, "the military establishment will not have any role in the transformation or democratic transition in Sudan," wishing for "the formation of a real civilian government that expresses the wishes of the Sudanese people."
He explained that "the armed forces are part of the state's forces that everyone must participate in managing," noting that, "the armed forces will be subject to the orders of the transitional authority that will result from the elections sooner or later."
This comes after the "tripartite mechanism" consisting of the United Nations, the African Union and the IGAD organization announced on the same day in January the launch of the final phase of the political process in Sudan.
The trilateral mechanism said in a statement that this process aims to reach a "final and fair" agreement.
