Lack of international support hampers security reforms in Sahel region: Sudanese officials

February 24, 2022 (NIAMY) – Hadi Idris a member of the Transitional Sovereign Council in Sudan called for international support to the implementation of the security arrangements in the eastern part of the Sahel region.

Idris made his call in a forum held in Niamey, Niger organised by the 4S Centre and Promediation on the challenges facing four neighbours (Chad Libya, Niger, and Sudan in their efforts to achieve the democratic transition.

Following the end of the two-day meeting on Thursday, Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum received Idris and his delegation to discuss relations between the two countries.

The Senior Sudanese official stressed the need for regional cooperation to address the security challenges and achieve stability through the reform of the security sector.

“One of the most important challenges of the transition is the reform of the security sector, under required standards, to create a single national army with a national military doctrine”.

“So as to address this challenge, the agreed security arrangements in these countries must be implemented,” he stressed.

Idris who is one of the signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement added that they dealt with all these aspects in the peace pact.

However, they stressed that the lack of international support delayed the implementation of this reform.

“The international community supported the peace process abut after the signing of the peace agreement. But after the signing, the weakness and lack of external support emerged,” he said.

The Security Council United Nations established the UNITAMS, a special political mission, to provide support to Sudan during its political transition to democratic rule.

The Sudanese transitional authority failed to launch the implementation process while the international community committed itself to support several big economic reforms, leaving to Khartoum to find the money needed for the DDDR.

Vincent Darracq, Regional Director of Promediation, which facilitated the forum told the Sudan Tribune they organized and funded with the support of its Norwegian and EU partners this meeting to address the regional dimension of the ongoing political transitions as well as the security of the central Sahel.

“The presence of Sudanese officials and peace stakeholders demonstrates the importance given to the search for shared solutions for these cross-border spaces,” Darracq added.

(ST)