Sudan’s SPLM-RDC condemns power grab, warns parallel government will prolong war
February 25, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – A faction of Sudan’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-RDC) on Tuesday condemned recent amendments to the country’s constitution as a dictatorial power grab. It warned that a proposed parallel government would only prolong the ongoing conflict.
Sudan’s military-led government recently amended the constitutional document, consolidating greater power in the hands of the armed forces and extending the transitional period by 39 months, beginning on Feb. 23.
The SPLM-Revolutionary Democratic Current (SPLM-RDC), in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune, said the amendments were “an entrenchment of dictatorship and a gateway for the return of the fulool – remnants of the former regime – and an unsuccessful attempt to defeat the December revolution. They must be rejected and resisted.”
The group said a parallel government would not resolve the issue of legitimacy, warning it was a step towards lengthening the conflict and pushing Sudan towards the unknown. It stressed that ending the war was the shortest path to protecting civilians.
“We stand against the parallel government and the intransigence of Port Sudan – a reference to the military-led government – in sitting down to resolve the humanitarian catastrophe and end the war,” the statement added.
On February 22, several armed, political, and civil organizations signed a founding charter calling for the establishment of a secular state, the right to self-determination if secularism is not included in the transitional or permanent constitution and the formation of a government in areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The SPLM-RDC said it supports addressing the root causes of the crisis, separating religion from the state, and using the vision of a “New Sudan” to build a new nation. It called on the charter’s signatories to establish a civilian administration to serve citizens in areas under their control until a peace agreement is reached.
It stressed that Sudan’s unity and sovereignty face challenges, including social and political divisions and external interference, which require a deep dialogue among political and social forces to unify the national fabric.
It called for the independence of democratic forces, resistance to pressures and new challenges, and rejection of subordination to the warring parties. It urged these forces to develop a detailed roadmap for a comprehensive solution.
The SPLM-RDC criticized the African Union’s High-Level Panel, saying it “did not actively involve Sudanese stakeholders in designing the political process. There are also no objective criteria for issuing invitations, and it is conducting a process isolated from addressing the humanitarian catastrophe and the military track.”
“The correct entry point for the political process is to address the humanitarian catastrophe, violations, protection of civilians, and a ceasefire. Without that, it will not stand on its own two feet,” the statement continued.
The AU panel has held a second round of separate meetings with Sudanese parties, aiming to design a political process that brings together civilian and political forces to discuss the future of governance.
Condemnation of airstrikes
The SPLM-RDC sharply criticized the Sudanese army’s air force, stating it “has a long history of reckless conduct and bombing civilians and civilian infrastructure in war zones. These are war crimes that began in South Sudan and spread to the Nuba Mountains, Darfur, and Blue Nile.”
“In this war, the air force’s recklessness has extended throughout Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, with the latest violations in Al-Dubaibat, without distinguishing between military and civilian targets,” it added.
The statement demanded that army leaders take the issue of airstrikes seriously, as the raids implicate the armed forces in widespread war crimes. It called on civilian forces to agree on a way forward to address the aerial bombardment.
The SPLM-RDC also condemned violations by the RSF in Al-Geteina in White Nile State and the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, stressing the need to organize a vigorous campaign against both warring parties and their ongoing violations against civilians and to raise the issue at the current session of the UN Human Rights Council.