Do Sudanese military boycott security reform conference?
January 22, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – In a tweet posted recently, the head of the Umma Party, Mubarak Al-Fadil Al-Mahdi, predicted “the collapse of the framework agreement” after “the boycott” of the military component of conferences and workshops on the five sticky issues.
“Burhan’s announcement of his refusal to engage politicians in the situation of the army means a boycott of the security and military reform workshop,” further stressed al-Mahdi who is not a signatory of the framework agreement.
Nonetheless, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) confirmed the participation of the military component in the security and military reform conference.
“Nothing prevents the military from participating in the conference, as they are the main concerned party by this issue and they are responsible for implementing reform,” an FFC Spokesman Shihab al-Tayeb told Sudan Tribune.
“The military has not yet shown any reluctance in this respect. We are on the same page and we are moving forward with the implementation of the framework agreement without a setback,” he stressed.
What is Burhan’s vision for military reform?
In response to this question, army spokesman Nabil Abdallah told Sudan Tribune, that he has no idea about that.
“I have no information on this subject,” Abdallah said before adding “If you review the statements of the commander-in-chief, you will find a clear vision in this regard.”
In a speech at the 57th Shooting Festival in Blue Nile State on January 15, 2023, al-Burhan stressed the importance of having a professional army away from politic and political organisations.
“No one can dismantle the army; no one can get his hand into it. They have nothing to do with it. We say to politicians who talk about the army, go and talk about your politics, and let us alone. We are able to put the army on the right path so that it becomes a professional and democratic army,” Burhan said.
“These forces will one day be under the authority of the civilian leadership that leads the state, when the right conditions are created,” he added referring to an elected government
Reforming not dismantling
A leading member of the National Umma Party (NUP) Urwa al-Sadiq minimized al-Burhan statements saying it was a speech before his troop to reassure them.
“This is an enthusiastic discourse from an officer to his forces. Some of it is objective and some other was exaggerated,” al-Sadiq told Sudan Tribune.
He underscored that the military establishment does need to be reformed, but they did never speak about dismantling the regular forces. He further said that the dismantlement has been mentioned for the economic companies of the military and security institutions.
Is the military reform process exclusive to the military?
The head of the SPLM- Revolutionary Democratic Current, Yasir Arman, in a talks show on S24 TV on January 18 stated that the security and military reform must be open to Sudanese, civilian and military, in order to create a political consensus on security arrangements.
“Still, there are technical aspects in the reform process that are left to the military alone. So, civilians cannot interfere in it, and this is understandable;” Arman added.
What are the requirements of the military on the reform conference?
FFC leading member Orwa al-Sadiq asserted that the military did not show any reservations or objections to the security and military reform conference. He further added that he various regular forces were engaged in preparatory workshops to draft papers for the conference and evaluate the process.
“The only condition set by the military is that the security and military reform conference be Sudanese without external interference, and to hold it in one of the security institutions,” he added.
The Trilateral Mechanism including the UNITAMS, the African Union and IGAD, has facilitated the political process.
(ST)