«Joy of Sudan» .. The military council and «forces of freedom and change» sign the documents of the transitional period

The Military Council and the Coalition of the Sudan Declaration of Freedom and Change signed yesterday an agreement that would pave the way for a transitional period leading to civil rule in Sudan, amid a celebration atmosphere and official presence from several countries. The UAE participated in the signing ceremony and confirmed its stand with Sudan The Brotherhood in its endeavor to establish a political system capable of advancing the state, and march towards a prosperous future, and stressed the steadfastness of its position in support of Sudan and its people, in all that achieves its security and stability.

The "constitutional document" was signed by the deputy chairman of the junta, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hamidati, and the representative of the Alliance for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, Ahmed al-Rabie, at the Friendship Hall overlooking the Nile in Khartoum. The process lasted a few minutes and included several papers, witnessed by the Prime Ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia and the President of the African Commission.

Immediately after the signing, the chairman of the junta, Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, carried the document, which was placed in a thick green cover, high and waved to the applause of the audience, including African heads of state and government and representatives of the African Union, the European Union and the United States, as well as ministers and officials from Gulf countries. And Arabic.

Humaidati and Rabea sat on the main podium, next to them Ethiopian Prime Minister Abe Ahmed, who led the mediation that led to the agreement.

Minister of State, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Jaber, participated in the signing ceremony of the documents of the transfer of civil power between the military council and the forces of freedom and change in Khartoum.

Al-Jaber affirmed the UAE's stand with brotherly Sudan in its endeavor to establish a political system capable of advancing the state and moving towards a prosperous future.

Al-Jaber stressed the UAE's stance in support of Sudan and its people in all that achieves its security and stability.He expressed the UAE's aspiration to make this positive and important step the beginning of a new phase to ensure the participation of all the national popular spectrums in it, which reflects on the establishment of the political system and stability.

Al-Jaber said that the peaceful transfer of power through the path of national dialogue is the most effective and best way and the only guarantor of the progress of states, especially that the experiences of chaos have led to catastrophic consequences for many peoples in the region.

Al-Jaber said that the history of Sudanese-UAE relations is long and deeply rooted, and the UAE has always been with the brotherly Sudanese people, and will continue this good march based on its firm policy to stand with brotherly and friendly peoples and support them in facing the challenges.

"This great historic achievement is a good result of the engineering and creation of the national will, the transitional military council, the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change, the armed movements and political actors," AU representative Moussa Faki Mohamed said in a speech after the signing.

Then, the leader of the opposition Umma Party, Sadiq al-Mahdi, delivered a speech in which he considered this day as a "day of transit to civilian rule, which will achieve peace and democratic transformation through free elections in accordance with the Sudanese people."

He stressed the need to open the door to «all forces that did not pollute their positions tyranny», and not to exclude anyone.

The Presidents of Chad Idriss Deby, the State of Southern Sudan Silvakir Mayardit, Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the Prime Ministers of Ethiopia and Egypt (representatives of the African Union), a number of foreign ministers of other countries and representatives of regional and international organizations attended the signing of the transitional period documents in the Friendship Hall In Khartoum.

Also attending the ceremony were Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, African mediator Mohamed El Hassan Lababat and the Ethiopian envoy. Mahmoud Dareer, and representatives of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The signing ceremony started with the Sudanese national anthem, and then recited verses from the Koran.

Banners were hung inside the plush hall reading "Joy of Sudan."

A documentary film about the Sudanese revolution was screened at the beginning of the event.

Official and popular ceremonies were launched in Sudan on the occasion of the signing ceremony of the agreement between the Transitional Military Council and the forces of freedom and change.

Rebel groups in marginalized areas such as Darfur, Blue Nile and Kordofan were absent from yesterday's ceremony.

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front, which united these movements under its banner, supported the protest movement, but rejected the constitutional declaration, and demanded representation in the government and more guarantees in peace talks.

Although the road to democracy remains fraught with many obstacles, the country has been celebrated since the morning, and thousands of people from all over Sudan are flocking to Khartoum for the occasion.

Sudanese newspapers, published yesterday morning, celebrated the "historic transition."

"Today, the country begins the historic transition to democracy," Al-Tiar newspaper wrote in its front page. "Khartoum is preparing for the greatest joy."

With the formal signing of the agreement, Sudan will begin a process that includes important immediate first steps. The composition of the new Governing Council, which will be composed mostly of civilians, will be announced today.

Today, the formation of the Sovereignty Council and the dissolution of the Military Council will be announced. The prime minister will be sworn in on August 21.

The Association of Sudanese Professionals announced the agreement of the structures of the forces of freedom and change to take over Abdullah Hamdouk, prime minister during the transitional period, while the military junta, Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, as chairman of the sovereign council.

Spokesman for Sudan's Transitional Military Council, chairman of the political committee, Lt. Gen. Shamsuddin Kabbashi, said the council had chosen five of its current members to represent it in the sovereign council.

Kabashi revealed in press statements reported by the website «Sudan Today», that the members of the sovereign council of the military establishment, are General Mohamed Hamdan Dqlo «Hamidati», Lieutenant General Shams al-Din Kabbashi, and Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, referring to the selection of General Jamal Omar To take over the defense portfolio in the new government.

Candidate Prime Minister Hamdok is expected to focus his efforts on reforming Sudan's economy, which has been in crisis since the 2011 oil-rich south seceded from the north, and the livelihood has sparked protests against Bashir's rule.

The forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change in Sudan announced the conduct of mass processions in all states of the country, in celebration of the final signing of the political and constitutional declarations.

The forces of freedom and change, in an official statement broadcast by the Sudanese news agency «SUNA»: «the processions of freedom and civil processions in the regions and the capital».

The agreement, reached on August 4, ends nearly eight months of unrest that began with mass demonstrations against former President Omar al-Bashir. The army overthrew Bashir under street pressure in April, 30 years after Sudan ruled with an iron fist.

The agreement was reached between the junta, which took power after Bashir was ousted, and the protesters, mediated by Ethiopia, after a bloody crackdown on a sit-in demanding the handover of power to civilians. The crackdown has killed more than 250 people, according to the Central Committee of Physicians close to the protesters.

The documents for the transfer of civil power are the political declaration documents, signed on July 17, and the constitutional declaration, initialed on August 4, which pave the way for the formation of the government and the beginning of the transitional period.

Sultan Al Jaber:

"The UAE stands with brotherly Sudan in its quest to establish a political system capable of advancing the state and moving it towards a prosperous future."