Sudanese groups voice rejection of transitional period deal
May 16, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – A number of Sudanese political forces allied to the former regime voiced their rejection of the agreement between the military junta and the alliance of “Declaration of Freedom and Change” and vowed to resist it.
The military council recently sealed an agreement with the opposition coalition providing to establish transitional institutions for three years. The transitional arrangements include a sovereignty council, a technocrat government chosen by the alliance forces alongside a legislative assembly in which they hold 67% of its seats with 33% for the parties that did not participate in the Bashir’s government but they are not members of the freedom and change forces.
The agreement was widely rejected by forces allied to the former regime especially co-chaired by the Popular Congress Party (PCP) and the coalition of 2020 Forces
“The bilateral agreement is rejected,” PCP political secretary Idriss Suleiman told a news conference on Thursday.
He said that the pursuit of what he called a “civilian dictatorship” under the slogans of the revolution is dangerous to the homeland and its safety.
“There are no forces that did not dialogue or share power with the former regime. So, we reject the attempts of the forces of change to monopolize and control.”
He further stressed that the PCP does not wish to participate in the transitional government and believes that its duration should not exceed one year.
In the same vein, the alliance of 2020 Forces, which is formed by groups that participated in the national dialogue and headed by al-Tayeb Mustafa, announced its rejection of the bilateral agreement between the military junta and the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change and described as “unjust.”
The 2020 Forces alliance criticized the allocation of 33 per cent of the seats of parliament to other powers, saying it was a small percentage, in addition to being granted only in consultation with the parties of freedom and change.
The coalition further rejected the three-year duration of the transitional period, adding it should not exceed one year.
“We reject this bilateral agreement, and we reject the military council’s submission to one faction because it gives them the legislative and executive powers and a half of the sovereign authority over a period of transition close to the full presidential term without any popular electoral mandate.”
The political committee of the military council last April met with all the political forces that were part of the regime of President al-Bashir.
Following what, they handed over their proposals on the transitional institutions, but the freedom and changes forces denounced the role of the political committee which was controlled by known Islamist generals who resigned later on.
For its part, the “Support of Sharia and the rule of law” a radical Islamist group strongly criticized the Transitional Military Council and accused it of practising injustice, exclusion and political neglect.
“The Transitional Military Council adopts the vision of the forces of freedom and change only and ignores the rest of the other ideological currents, and this is a great injustice,” said the group leader Mostafa Idris during a news conference on Thursday.
“We reject the Transitional Military Council’s policy completely and we do not want our blessed revolution replaces an exclusionary regime with another exclusionary regime,” he added.
(ST)