Juba Declaration violates Sudan’s transitional constitution, says FFC official

September 29, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The Juba Declaration for peace in Sudan has violated the transitional constitution when it stipulated to postpone the appointment of state governors until the signing of a peace agreement, said a spokesperson of the Forces for Freedom and Change on Sunday.

In line with ‘The Juba Declaration of Confidence Building Measures and the Preparation for Negotiation’, the Sudanese government and the armed groups agreed among others to delay the formation of the transitional parliament and the appointment of state governors until the conclusion of the peace process.

Regarding the demand of the armed groups to participate in the transitional administration, the government delegation pledged to give its response in the next meeting, further says the deal brokered by President Salva Kiir and signed on 11 September.

In an interview with the Sudan Tribune, FFC’s spokesman Wajdi Saleh said that the Juba agreement under the current state requires a political agreement to amend the text of the transitional constitution.

“No Sudanese official, whether in the Council of Ministers, the Sovereign Council or otherwise, shall be allowed to enter into agreements violating the Constitutional Document which has the primacy and it is the supreme law that we have agreed to resort to in the event of a conflict.

“However, we are willing to amend it if there is an agreement to do so. There is no problem,” he stressed.

After, the tribal clashes in Port Sudan and the attacks on the protesters in South Darfur state, the FFC forces agreed to replace the military governors with new civilian governors and urged the government to expedite the process.

Last August, the FFC rejected a disposition in a deal negotiated by their delegation with the armed groups in Addis Ababa providing that the peace agreements would prevail over the constitutional document.

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) had criticized the Constitutional document saying it “rejected peace”.

New Five State Ministers

The spokesperson disclosed that the ruling FFC will appoint more five state ministers for the foreign affair, finance, industry, trade, and transport.

Nonetheless “These ministries have not yet been agreed,” he said as discussions are ongoing on to pick the candidates and the final list of the concerned ministries.

Saleh didn’t say if some of these will be reserved for the armed groups but pointed that some will be reserved to the women as they have been criticized for appointing 4 female ministers out of the 20 government members.

(ST)