Nairobi meetings aim for New Sudan charter, not rival government- Hajer
February 21, 2025 (NAIROBI) – Meetings in Nairobi are focused on establishing a foundational charter for a “new Sudan,” not forming a parallel government to the one in Port Sudan, a faction leader within the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces said on Thursday.
Al-Tahir Hajer, head of the GSLF, told Al Jazeera TV that the ongoing discussions aimed to produce a political charter to unite allied forces, not to create a rival administration.
The charter signing in Nairobi on Friday was postponed, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies have not announced a new date. The meetings have drawn criticism from Kenyan political groups and civil society organizations, who view them as interference in Sudan’s internal affairs by President Williams Ruto.
“What is happening in Nairobi is consultations and arrangements for signing a foundational charter for the new Sudan,” Hajar said. “The matter is not about forming a government but signing a charter for the forces establishing this charter.”
He said the delay was due to the complexity of the project, and that the signing would take place “as soon as they are completed and at the time we determine.”
Hajar stressed that forming a government was a “later stage” and would happen inside Sudan. He said the Nairobi meetings were solely for the political charter.
He denied reports of a power struggle over the presidency of a potential future Sovereign Council, saying that discussions on government formation had not yet taken place.
“The stage of forming a government is a later stage. Therefore, the presidency of the Sovereign Council has not been discussed,” he said.
Asked about reports that Kauda had been chosen as the headquarters of a parallel government, Hajar said no specific location had been decided.
“We have not determined a specific place or discussed about that matter. All the cities of Sudan are suitable to be our headquarters, and Kauda is part of the legacy of the struggle of the Sudanese people, and we have no objection to that,” he said.
Sources involved in the meetings told Sudan Tribune that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, and the RSF disagreed over the presidency of the Sovereign Council.
Hajar said the initiative was driven by the need to preserve Sudan’s unity. He criticized the Port Sudan government for dividing the country.
“The Port Sudan government divided the country into the state of the river and the sea and the state of the citizens of Darfur, the Blue Nile, and Kordofan,” he said. “These people live in northern Sudan with ID cards as if they are refugees from other countries or displaced from other states.”