Sudanese parties, military component to sign framework agreement in 72 hours
December 2, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese political forces and the military component will sign a framework agreement Monday, a key step towards establishing a fully civilian transitional government, Yasir Arman told Sudan Tribune on Friday.
“A framework agreement will be signed 72 hours from now. The main difference between it, the constitutional declaration of 2019 and the November 21, 2022 Agreement (between al-Burhan and Hamdok) is the non-participation of the military in power at all levels,” Arman said.
He added that the transitional authority including the cabinet and the Sovereign Council will be entirely composed of civilians.
The FFC structures including the Executive Bureau and the Central Council held a meeting on Thursday to finalize the details of the agreement.
Asked about who would sign the declaration from the civilian forces, Arman disclosed that the signatories will include the forces of the revolution and the forces of the transition.
“The parties that will sign are the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), Sudanese Revolutionary Front led by al-Hadi Idris, Popular Congress Party, Democratic Unionist Party, and professionals and civil society groups,” he said.
As for the armed struggle movements that signed the Juba Peace Agreement, he added “Nothing prevents them from being part of this agreement”.
The National Consensus Forces including the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) of Gibril Ibrahim call to maintain the 2019 constitutional declaration.
The leader of the SPLM Revolutionary Democratic Current expected that political detainees will be released before the signing of the framework agreement.
“The agreement stipulates an end to violence against the mass movement with clear measures, the release of detainees, and a real transformation of the state apparatus, especially the media, in favour of a civil democratic transition”.
After the coup, Sudanese Islamists returned to civil service and took control of the state media.
Arman stressed that preventing the return of the Islamists to power was one of the triggers of the political process, pointing to the disastrous consequences they may cause in the country and the region.
He underscored the joint work with the tripartite and quadruple mechanisms and the European Union.
“They will be present, some of them will be observers to the agreement, and in other stages will become guarantors, but the first guarantor of this agreement is the Sudanese people”.
He added that the agreement should create room for more dialogue between the forces of the revolution to complete the goals of the December revolution.
He stressed the signatories would remain strictly committed to the December revolution and strive to complete the tasks of the revolution and state-building.
Following the signing of the framework agreement, the signatories have to develop four documents on accountability and transitional justice, dismantlement of the former regime, review of the Juba peace agreement, and security reform.
A deal on the four issues should be struck within a month from the date of the signing of the framework agreement.
The detractors of the political settlement accuse the Forces for Freedom and Change of giving up justice in exchange for the army handing over power.
(ST)