Sudan: Talks between military factions further delay post-coup deal on civilian rule

Khartoum, Sudan: Military group talks have pushed back the signature of an agreement to restart Sudan’s democratic transition even further, civilian officials claimed on Wednesday, calling for new statewide rallies.

A coup orchestrated by army head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in October 2021 interrupted the transition to civilian-led administration that began with the removal of long-ruling Islamist general Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Security changes have been a major area of disagreement in recent weeks’ talks, which have built on a tentative agreement made in December to install a civilian administration.

The signing ceremony scheduled for Thursday has been pushed back again “due to a resumption of talks between soldiers… on April 1 and 6”, according to a statement by the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), a historic civilian bloc.

They stated that progress had been achieved on numerous topics, but that one final question remained, following the ceremony’s postponement last week.

According to experts, the merger of the formidable paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Burhan’s deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, into the regular army is the sticking point in the planned changes.

The two men have been at odds about the timeline for RSF integration, and experts have seen a growing schism between them.

The FFC also called for peaceful nationwide protests on Thursday for “freedom, peace and justice” and against the return of “the old regime”, after several high-ranking officials from the Bashir era found roles in the current administration.

The authorities proclaimed 6 April a non-working day in anticipation of the protests. According to witnesses, a substantial military presence was apparent on Wednesday in portions of Khartoum and its suburbs, barring bridges over the Nile.

The day of 6 April is significant for Sudan’s civilian movement since it marks the anniversary of uprisings in 1985 and 2019 that resulted in the removal of two presidents who had taken power in coups.

The December agreement, struck after nearly weekly and violent protests since the coup in 2021, called for the military to leave politics once a democratic administration is in place.

The deterioration of Sudan’s economy has put pressure on all parties to achieve an agreement, which is required before foreign help can be resumed to the poor country.

Created in 2013, the RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia that Bashir unleashed a decade earlier in the western region of Darfur against non-Arab rebels. The militia has since been accused by human rights groups of having committed war crimes.

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