Tripartite panel to launch talks on Sudan’s transitional constitution soon
November 10, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The facilitation panel will convene meetings between the Sudanese stakeholders to reach an agreement over a draft constitution paving the way for the formation of a transitional civilian government, said the Trilateral Mechanism on Thursday.
UNITAMS head Volker Perthes, IGAD Special Envoy, Ismail Wais and African Union Representative in Sudan Mohamed Belaiche released a joint opinion piece entitled “Sudan: a glimmer of political hope”.
The members of the facilitation mechanism confirmed the endorsement of the draft transitional constitution of the Sudanese Bar Association (SBA) by the military component. Also, they extended their “comments and amendments” to the document.
Based on this development, they decided to call for “indirect and direct talks aiming at translating and realizing these understandings in the framework of an implementable agreement (soon)”.
The three facilitators went further to say that this “current reasonable draft” would serve as a basis for a “genuine exercise” for a compromise between the Sudanese stakeholders.
The SBA proposed document is now adopted by the Forces for Freedom and Change, the Popular Congress Party, the Democratic Unionist Party (Alhassan’s faction), the military component and a large number of civil society groups.
Two former rebel groups, SLM of Minni Minnawi and JEM of Gibril Ibrahim and a SUP faction led by Gaffer al-Mirghani rejects the draft transitional constitution as they call to keep the 2019 constitutional declaration.
The paper underscores the persistent disagreement between the military and the civilian forces over some questions such as the security reforms as the military’s rejection of any reform by an unelected civilian government and the transitional justice as the civilians fear the reaction of the street if they make important concessions on this sensitive file.
Nevertheless, the three facilitators expressed optimism and stressed that an agreement can be built on this “workable document”.
They suggested that Sudanese must turn into the future stressing that the transition is “temporary” by nature.
“It would be wrong for any one individual to think their vision can be imposed to guide its course or monopolize power during this temporary timeframe,” they said.
(ST)