Western gov’ts to promote accountability for obstructers of Sudan’s political process
February 9, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Western special envoys on Thursday reiterated their support for the Framework Political Agreement and warned that they would promote accountability for those who seek to undermine the democratic transition in Sudan.
Special envoys and representatives from France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union were in Khartoum to courage Sudanese parties to quickly form a transitional government ending instability triggered by a military coup in October 2021.
In a joint statement issued at the end of their visit, the special envoy stated that the ongoing framework agreement process remains the “best basis” to form a civilian transitional government ending the coup and paving the way for a democratic transition in Sudan.
They further called on the Sudanese parties to exert the needed efforts to finalize negotiations and reach a final agreement quickly to form a civilian-led transitional government.
“The Special Envoys and representatives strongly discouraged parallel processes,” further stressed the statement.
The diplomats were obviously referring to the Egyptian-facilitated meeting that gathered some signatories of the Juba peace agreement and diverse political groups.
They proposed another political declaration providing to maintain the 2019 constitutional declaration of military-civilian partnership. Also, they recommend removing the mention of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) from the declaration and keeping amendments that ensure their participation in power.
In a parallel move, the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese army and one of his generals escalated criticism of the Political Framework Agreement and threatened to break the deal, despite their significant role in the negotiations that led to its signing on December 5, 2022.
Aware that the new developments may lead to disrupting the ongoing process, the supporters of the framework acknowledged the need to include “additional groups” in to process.
Further, they called to “put Sudan’s national interest above narrow political ends”, as it become clear that some parties seek to keep power and maintain privileges without any consideration for the political and economic precariousness of the country.
“Recognizing the fragility of democratic transitions, we stand united in promoting accountability for those – including either military, armed group or civilian actors – who attempt to undermine or delay Sudan’s transition to democracy,” stressed the special envoys.
This is the first time that the western envoys publically declare they would impose sanctions on the obstructers of the democratic transition in Sudan.
Previously, Washington resisted calls by U.S. lawmakers to sanction the military leaders after the military coup of October 25, 2021.
(ST)