Day: November 8, 2022

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces and leader of the October 2021 coup d’état, Abdelfattah El Burhan, confirmed that meetings about a new political framework for the country are being held on Sunday, provoking strong reactions.

He warned the former ruling National Congress Party (NCP) not to interfere with the army or in politics, explaining that “the army has no faction or party, and it will never defend a faction or party.”

His speech, in front of hundreds of leaders and members of the army at the Hattab military base, near Khartoum, was held without special occasion and used sharp language.

He said he is ready to fight for Sudan and claimed to be carrying his own personal weapon, a “pistol,” loaded with bullets and ready for any emergency.

El Burhan continued, “To those who want to hide behind the army, especially the NCP or the Islamists, we say to them: Keep your hands off the armed forces.” He further expressed the autonomy of the army, saying that he “will not allow any group to return to power through it, whether the National Congress or the Islamic Movement or others… We are the army of Sudan.”

Smoke and mirrors

According to lawyer and leading member of the Communist Party of Sudan, Saleh Mahmoud, El Burhan’s speech was an attempt to mislead public opinion. He described El Burhan’s talk about preventing the dissolved NCP of ousted President Omar Al Bashir from returning to power through the army as contradictory.

“The members of the Military Council, headed by El Burhan, are part of the NCP regime,” Mahmoud told Radio Dabanga in an interview yesterday.?“They themselves allowed members of the NCP to re-appear in the political arena, staging demonstrations, and reinstalled elements of the former regime to important state positions.”

Kholood Khair, broadcaster and managing partner of Insight Strategy Partners, a think-and-do tank in Khartoum that works on transitional policy priority areas, tweeted on Sunday evening her indignation at El Burhan’s speech.

“It’s worth asking why Burhan would make this statement. But a better question is why not? He’s posturing in front of all his nay-sayers,” she said. “Sudan’s political parties have learned very little and are blindly heading towards another elite deal that will not serve them. The tragedy of Sudan’s politics is that its parties remain caught up in a political system that was designed and is maintained by the military to fail them.”

Root issues

According to the researcher, Sudan’s negotiations continue to be concerned with positions and transitional structures, rather than transformative change, because its parties remain caught in a system which favours the military.

“This upcoming deal does nothing to break the mould and therefore is no real challenge to the military’s domination of Sudan’s politics, in fact, its very much the opposite. So, El Burhan – and his new Ray-Bans – can rest easy,” said Khair.

Khair’s comments are reminiscent of those of Abdelaziz El Hilu, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N El Hilu), who maintains that the root causes for the Sudanese crises, caused by a complex mix of power struggles, in particular over the control of natural resources, poverty, religion and politics, the racial divide between Arabs and Africans, and clientelism need to be addressed before agreeing on the country’s governance.

International posturing

Adel Khalafallah, spokesperson for the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, also called El Burhan’s “attacks on the Islamists” political manoeuvring.

The speech “is a message for the outside, especially other countries in the region, in light of Sudan’s participation in the COP27 climate summit. He is facing a lot of pressure from the region and the West regarding the expansion of Islamists after the October 2021 coup,” Khalafallah told Radio Dabanga.

He continued, “El Burhan himself issued a decision a few days ago, through committees that he has formed, to dissolve the steering committees of the democratically re-established unions.”

Khalafallah also referred to the stark contrast of treatment of the Sudanese judiciary, the Prosecution, and the Central Bank compared to unions and civil society organisations. “Former NCP members are empowered economically and functionally, while all achievements of the Empowerment Removal Committee* have been annulled and its members detained.”

On Friday, the police cracked down on SBA lawyers after the organisation announced its rejection of the decision by the Supreme Court’s Appeals Committee to reject their appeal and thus reinstate Bashir-allied trade unions. Contradictorily, the Humanitarian Aid Commission in Sudan allowed the re-registration of 23 “Islamist” non-governmental organisations and associations in September.

Background

In July, El Burhan said in a televised speech that the military would withdraw from the current national dialogue, facilitated by the AU-IGAD-UNITAMS Trilateral Mechanism.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga last week, Lawyer El Sadig Ali Hasan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Darfur Bar Association (DBA), said “no deals will arise” from rumoured conversations being held behind closed doors between the military and civilian parties. He explained that “El Burhan speaks with several tongues. He cannot be trusted, and the street knows this all too well.”

The most prominent points of contention between the mainstream Forces for Freedom and Change-Central Council (FFC-CC) and the military junta are the military’s request for guarantees of immunity from prosecution for the abuses after the 2019 and 2021 coup d’états, said Mohamed El Mahdi Hasan from the National Umma Party on October 26.

The proposed agreement, which does not deviate from the old model favoured by the international community, a military-civilian partnership, is “strongly pushed by the US, which is racing against time to reign in the Russian expansion in Sudan and some African neighbouring countries,” according an article by journalist Shamayel El Noor last week.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The murder of 60-year-old farmer Malik Yahya near El Roseires in the Blue Nile region on Sunday evening, has reignited tensions in the area, which has seen extensive inter-communal clashes over the past weeks. A relative of the victim told Radio Dabanga that Yahya died after an unknown person beat him on the head with a stick.

A report of the killing was filed at the police of El Roseires. Listeners told Radio Dabanga from the town that the area witnessed tension following the killing of the farmer, though his relatives did not accuse any tribe or party.

On Monday, the Governor of the Blue Nile region*, Gen Ahmed El Omda, issued an emergency order banning public gatherings, closing roads, and publishing hate speech.

People living in Medina 3 3 in Wad El Mahi confirmed the calm situation following the deployment of army and Rapid Support Forces in the area, noting at the same time the deteriorating health conditions and the lack of services.

Ahmed Osman told Radio Dabanga that the area is short of clean drinking water, in addition to medics and medicines. He also complained about frequent power cuts.

He referred to the spread of malaria and infections among the displaced women and children, and said that they had not received any food or shelter aid, except for 350 cartons of relief items for 1,600 homes.

Ramadan Yasin, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid (HAC) in Blue Nile region said that the security committee is continuing the necessary measures to open schools. The said that the region’s media partners developed a plan to combat hate speech.

He explained to Radio Dabanga that international and national organisations provided the shelters for the displaced in Ed Damazin and El Roseires with foodstuffs, shelter, child protection and other items, stressing that the displaced need more services so that students can return to school.

HAC plans to visit Medina 5, 6, 9 and Belgawa to conduct surveys among the people affected by the recent violence.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The British Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan, Robert Fairweather, shared his hopes for the Sudanese Bar Associations (SBA) steering committee’s transitional constitutional framework and provided some insight into his talks with the Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council and Leader of Sudan’s Armed Forces, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan.

At a public Q&A in London chaired by the UK branch of the Sudanese Revolutionary Movement on Sunday, Fairweather highlighted the importance of the SBA’s efforts in the current political process, stating that the lawyers have “brought together so many different groups”. He added that “seeing people talking is essential” to breaking Sudan’s political standstill, and that “making way for compromises is the only way to see the military move out of power”.

The British diplomat, who is also leader of the Sudan Troika group (Norway. UK, USA) was steadfast in his opinion of including the Sovereignty Council in discussions concerning a potential civilian transition.

‘Making way for compromises is the only way to see the military move out of power…’

He stated that in his talks with El Burhan and the Vice President of the Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, they “expressed their worries about what would happen to them the next day if they were to relinquish power”.

Fairweather said that he appreciates and sympathises with those who believe the junta should have no part in these discussions, “however, the ultimate goal is to explain why they should give up power and make it so that it is in their interests to do so”.

He stated that whilst the SBA process may “not be perfect” and some stakeholders want no part in these discussions, “differences should be put aside and tabled when you get a democratic government”. He added that it takes “courage and compromise”, and a “unified front” was the only way to ensure a civilian transition. He implored the panel and attendees that “we should take advantage of this current window”.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice is of great importance to the representative. The diplomat recounted his time in Khartoum, meeting the families of those who died during the protests, saying “they did not ask for much, at the very least they wanted an apology and some acknowledgement” from the Sudanese authorities. He assured attendees that justice for the families who lost loved ones was “always at the top of the agenda”.

‘The families of the martyrs know that the chances are the person who pulled the trigger will not face justice, but they want a free Sudan…’

He stated that in his first meeting with El Burhan and his following meetings with the junta’s top brass, he implored them “to stop killing civilians”. However, he stated that transitional justice should be left to Sudan, and the UK could only help facilitate further discussions on this matter.

The special representative added that the need for transitional justice, just as in “countries such as Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland, or South Africa, where a similar need for justice was needed” it must be piloted by Sudan itself.

Fairweather underlined the importance of the economy in the matter of transitional justice, saying that industries ruled by the junta should be nationalised as they have got away with “not paying their taxes”.

In reference to the use of sanctions when questioned by a member of the audience, Fairweather stated that whilst the British government could not talk about the potential use of sanctions against Sudan, he alluded to its potential to be used “if he did not see the progress they expect”.

During a poignant moment in the Q&A portion of the public meeting, Bereir Sorour, the father of slain university student, Ali Bereir, who was shot in the head by a live bullet in the November 17 demonstrations last year, did his best to recount his son’s final moments through a teary-eyed plea for justice to the British representative.

The meeting room fell into a mournful quiet as the father stated he had been “frantically seeking justice” for his son’s death. Whilst on stage, Sorour was clutching the flag his son was carrying before his death; the attendees stood up to applause his strength and chanted various anti-coup slogans such as “our martyrs did not die, they live within the revolution”. The resounding feelings of grief and justice came to be epitomised when Fairweather embraced the bereaved father.

Juba Peace Agreement

On the subject of the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, Fairweather said it had been slowed due to the October 2021 military coup, as well as “the actions of signatories of the JPA”. He emphasised that the deal is a very “important element”, and “we must not end up with an elite deal that is just good for Khartoum… it should reflect the whole of Sudan”.

The British representative also stated that the junta authorities were not willing to authorise him visiting Darfur, adding that his Norwegian counterpart, Dr Endre Stiansen, was accused by the authorities of “stirring up trouble” during his visit in February.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, during his meeting with Fairweather in Khartoum in September, El Burhan stressed the need to achieve national consensus, expand the base of political participation, and return to the transitional path in light of the declared position of the military component to withdraw from the political process.

Source: Radio Dabanga