KHARTOUM: Sudan’s military and civilian leaders signed on Monday an initial deal aimed at ending a deep crisis caused by last year’s military coup, prompting sceptical protesters to cry betrayal.
Army chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan seized power in October 2021, derailing a rocky transition to civilian rule that began after the 2019 ouster of veteran ruler Omar al Bashir. The past year has seen near-weekly protests and a crackdown that pro-democracy medics say has killed at least 121, a spiralling economic crisis exacerbated by donors slashing funding, and a resurgence of ethnic violence in several remote regions. Divisions among civilian groups have deepened since the coup, with some urging a deal with the military while others insist on “no partnership, no negotiation”.
The deal was signed by Burhan, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and multiple civilian groups, most notably the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) — the main civilian faction that was ousted in the coup.
As the key players put pens to paper, hundreds of citizens rallied in Khartoum to protest against the deal. “The settlement is betrayal” and the FFC “sold our blood,” demonstrators cried. “We reject this deal as it overlooked street demands for justice for the people killed since the coup,” said one of those protesters, Mohamed Ali. If the deal plays out as planned, the civilian signatories will agree on a prime minister who will steer the country through a 24-month transition.
“The ceremony today is a culmination of the sustained efforts of Sudanese stakeholders over the past year to find a solution to the political crisis and restore constitutional order,” said UN special representative Volker Perthes.
The initial deal was described as “welcome” by the United States, Britain, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — all key players in Sudan — in a joint statement by the US State Department. During the signing ceremony, Dagalo reiterated the military’s purported commitment to exit the political scene, saying “it is essential to build a sustainable democratic regime”.
Other signatories included the Islamist Popular Congress Party, a faction of the Democratic Unionist Party and some ex-rebel groups who signed a 2020 peace deal. The agreement — based on a proposal by the Sudanese Bar Association — was negotiated in the presence of officials
from the UN, Western diplomats as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the FFC. — AFP
