Friends of Sudan UN chief welcome signing of framework agreement
December 6, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Friends of Sudan and the United Nations chief welcomed the signing of a political framework agreement between the civilian forces and military component ending a one-year coup in Sudan.
Endorsed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and the leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change coalition as well as political parties and civil society groups, the deal provides to establish a two-year civilian transitional authority.
The military will not take part in the transitional government as it was le case before. But, they will control the army even if they accept that the head of state and commander in chief of the army will be a civilian.
The Friend of Sudan group which backs the democratic transition in Sudan issued a statement hailing the agreement which will lead to the military withdrawal from politics in Sudan.
“The Friends of Sudan commend the signatories for the effort and compromise necessary to reach this initial agreement and urge all Sudanese stakeholders to continue their efforts to conclude a final political agreement and establish a credible civilian-led government as soon as possible,” read a statement issued by the group.
The Friends of Sudan consists of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union.
After the coup, the group formed a quad including the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the U.K., and UEA that backed the efforts of the tripartite facilitation mechanism to end the political stalemate after the October 25, 2022 coup.
From New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the signing of the framework agreement and expressed hope that the deal paves the way for the return to a civilian-led transition in Sudan
Guterres further called on “all Sudanese stakeholders to work without delay on the next phase of the transition process to address outstanding issues with a view to achieving a lasting, inclusive political settlement”.
The FFC and the military components have in the coming four weeks to discuss the details of four points: security reform, justice and traditional justice, dismantlement of the former regime and the review of the Juba peace agreement.
Two armed groups from the Darfur region continue to reject the deal and blamed the international community for its support for the framework agreement.
(ST)