Sudan’s non signatories reject formation of new government without them

March 14, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Minni Minnawi Political Secretary of the Democratic Bloc rejected the appointment of a prime minister before reaching a political agreement with the non-signatory groups of the framework agreement.

Yasir Arman a leading member of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) on Sunday disclosed discussions with the military leaders over the appointment of a new prime minister as the political process is nearing the end.

In response to Arman, Minnawi said in statements published Tuesday that such statements were just for political consumption.

“If the political process, namely the political declaration, and the (transitional) constitution are not completed, the Democratic Bloc will not recognize a prime minister or any declared government,” he told the Alray Alaam daily.

The Sudan Liberation Movement leader further criticized what he described as the “intransigence” of the Forces for Freedom and Change, saying they were hindering the political process.

“Any talk about the prime minister at the moment is meaningless and made for political consumption,” he stressed.

The head of the National Umma Party Fadlalla Burma and his deputy, Maryam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, on Monday, met with the Democratic Bloc leaders as part of efforts to end the political stalemate in the country.

The meeting agreed on the need to transcend differences and put the national interest above narrow political interests, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The Democratic Bloc rejects the draft transitional constitution and the framework agreement signed by the FFC and other political forces. Instead, the non-signatory coalition proposes amending the 2019 Constitutional Declaration, which preserves the participation of armed movements in the government.

A number of leaders of the pro-democracy coalition announced that the non-signatory groups that signed the Juba peace agreement can participate in the selection of the new agreement but they cannot appoint politically affiliated cadres.

In a related development, Minnawi rejected a proposal recently put forward by Maryam al-Mahdi, deputy head of the National Umma Party, to form a caretaker government.

“If the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the military component decided to form a caretaker government, we have conditions,” he added.

(ST)