New coalition calls to review Sudan’s 2019 constitutional declaration, rejects lawyers proposals
November 3, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Pro-coup armed groups and some political parties launched Thursday a new alliance dubbed “Forces for Freedom and Change – the Democratic Bloc (FFC-DB)”, calling to form a civilian transitional government based on an amended version of the 2019 Constitutional Declaration.
The launch of the agreement comes as the Trilateral Mechanism recently intensified efforts to forge the outlines of a political deal between political groups – the FFC mainstream – and the military component based on a draft transitional constitution proposed by the Sudanese Bar Association.
However, the leaders of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) of the SLM led by Minni Minnawi and JEM headed by Gibril Ibrahim, signed a new political agreement with Deputy Head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Gaffer al-Mirghani and some other political forces.
The new coalition rejects the adoption of a new constitutional text for the transition in Sudan. Instead, it calls to mend the current constitutional document of 2019.
Among the amendments proposed in the new document, the new coalition replace the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) with “political and civil forces, armed struggle movements, parties to the peace process and Resistance Committees.”
Also, the proposal of the FFC DB replaces the term “Transitional Sovereign Council” with “Sovereign Authority”.
Also, the text stipulates that “The Constitutional Document may not be amended in contravention of the Juba Peace Agreement except with the agreement of the parties to the (peace) agreement.
The constitutional text proposed by the Sudanese lawyers calls to review the Juba peace Agreement which was negotiated by the military component and armed groups.
On Wednesday the Sudanese Revolutionary Front headed by Hadi Idris also voiced its rejection to review the contested peace deal, according to a statement issued by the Sovereign Council following a meeting with the Trilateral Mechanism.
Several days ago, Mubarak Ardol a former SPLM-N official and now one the NCF leaders disclosed that DUP Vice-President Gaffer al-Mirghani has joined them and they would formally establish a new coalition on Thursday.
Gaffar support for the NCF has recently created a rift within the DUP, as the sons of the Party Leader Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani seem divided in their positions over the way out of the political crisis.
The other two sons, the head of the organization sector, Hassan al-Mirghani, and the political secretary, Ibrahim al-Mirghani, support the transitional constitution of the Sudanese lawyers loyal.
On October 31, 2022, the DUP political secretary denied Ardol’s statements about a new coalition between the NCF and his party.
(ST)