Sudanese Communist Party rejects rival governments, says Army, RSF unfit to rule

February 20, 2025 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Sudanese Communist Party on Thursday declared its opposition to the formation of two rival governments in Sudan, asserting that neither the army nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are qualified to govern the country.

Salih Mahmoud, the Communist Party’s foreign relations secretary, met with Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the head of the AU’s High-Level Implementation Panel, and other officials on Wednesday at the African Union (AU) headquarters.

Mahmoud told Sudan Tribune that he presented Chambas with the party’s position, which rejects the establishment of separate governments in Port Sudan and RSF-controlled areas, citing the lack of legitimacy of both sides.

He argued that any such governments would be de facto authorities, lacking popular and constitutional support and that neither the army nor the RSF and their allies is entitled to determine the fate of the Sudanese people.

Mahmoud said the party informed the AU of its rejection of future military rule in Sudan, highlighting the army’s nearly 60-year history of governance, its role in the current war, and its mismanagement of the country’s resources. He also criticized the army’s alignment with foreign powers, which he warned would transform Sudan into a battleground for external conflicts, particularly after the reported agreement to establish a Russian naval base on the Red Sea coast.

He called on the AU to prevent arms shipments into the country, unify international and domestic initiatives to stop the war and strengthen its role at the United Nations to counter previous resolutions.

The party’s vision also included combating impunity, pursuing justice for war crimes, and forming a broad front of all active forces to oppose the war.

“We informed the head of the African mechanism that the Communist Party will not sit with any party biased towards either side of the war,” Mahmoud said.

“We will not sit with political blocs, but rather with individual parties on a bilateral basis.”

He added that the Communist Party is prepared to participate in AU activities to express its views.

Meetings between the AU and Sudanese political forces began on Wednesday, including separate discussions with the Democratic Bloc, the Sudanese Founding Alliance (Tasiss), the Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolution Forces (Smoud), and the Sudanese Communist Party.