Burhan’s deal widened rift between Hamdok and Sudan’s FFC: Arman
December 5, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – The gap has widened between Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) after the signing of a political agreement with the coup leaders said Yasir Arman former political adviser to the prime minister.
For the first time since his release on November 22, Arman posted an article on Monday where he speaks about his arrest and the political situation in the country after the coup d’etat and the dissolution of the transitional institutions by the coup leaders.
He implicitly voiced his disapproval of the political agreement of November 21 between Hamdok and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, saying the deal has created a rift between the prime minister, his political majority of the FFC and Sudanese people.
“There are more questions than answers. Also, bridging the gap between the two parties depends on the actions of the Prime Minister, not on his words, starting with how his office was formed, and its impact on his ability to act or not,” he said.
Arman went further to say that the future of Hamdok’s relationship with the democratic forces in Sudan depends also on the programme he would adopt and on his capacity to reaffirm his independence from the military component.
Finally, the former political adviser wondered how the prime minister would form his new government adding that if he fails to consult the FFC he would trigger their anger and they would be more hostile to his action.
According to a deal struck with al-Burhan on November 21, Hamdok would form a technocrat cabinet.
Al-Burhan said he wants that this cabinet includes a representative from every state.
For his part, the prime minister stated that he would consult the Sudanese personalities who brokered the deal.
Peace without framework
Arman who is also the Deputy Chairman of the SPLM-N led by Malik Agar said the October 25 coup emptied the Juba peace agreement from its constitutional framework.
“Now the peace agreement stands without a dockage or anchor,” he said.
According to Arman, the Juba peace agreement is based on the idea of achieving democratic transition in Sudan. This basis speaks requires reforming the security sector through the security arrangements in order to build a professional army, besides addressing other issues particularly the governance system, the return of the displaced and refugees.
He further underscored that the current situation will not encourage Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and Abdel Wahid al-Nur to negotiate a peace deal with the government.
Observers agree that Hamdok has a narrow margin for manoeuvre as he has to compose with the military and their allied Darfur former rebels who control key ministries such as finance and mining.
Hamdok said he signed the 21st November agreement to stop the killing of protesters by the security forces, preserve the international support for Sudan and achieve the democratic transition.
The African Union Peace and Security Council said would send a delegation to narrow the gaps between the signatories of the constitutional declaration of August 17, 2019, including the military component and the FFC groups.
(ST)