Tactical withdrawal or a complete failure.. What does the Sudanese military's desire for complete civil rule mean?

With a framework agreement that postponed consideration of some issues that were described as essential, Sudan is moving its crisis towards a new phase that is supposed to establish two years of civil transitional rule, so that the strategic direction remains in accordance with the operative part of the agreement and the optimistic statements made regarding it to enable a sustainable democratic civil rule.

A number of civil forces and the Sovereignty Council in Sudan signed a framework political agreement that establishes a transitional period of 24 months. The agreement stipulates that the transitional period begins from the date of the appointment of a prime minister and ends with comprehensive elections.

Among the important points stipulated in the agreement is the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the armed forces, and the criminalization of military coups and every political change outside the constitutional frameworks, while other Sudanese civil forces rejected the agreement, and confirmed that it led to internal divisions, and did not enjoy the agreement of the rest of the political forces.

The agreement obligated the transitional authorities to achieve transitional justice, uncover crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. It also provided for the evaluation and evaluation of the Juba Peace Agreement, while considering it as part of the constitutional document.

Withdrawal or failure?

From the point of view of the military component, through this agreement, the military confirms its desire for full civil rule during the transitional period, as well as its desire to exit the political scene completely, according to what was stated in the speech of Lieutenant General Fath al-Rahman Mohiuddin, a military expert and former commander of the Sudanese Navy. For the program “Beyond the News” (5/12/2022).

However, the matter also depends on the civilian political components that must adopt the agreement in order for the base of participation to expand, as there were suspicions that the military component is clinging to power and does not wish to step down from ruling the country. However, this signature, with the testimony of the international community, confirms that the military component asserts complete civilian rule. If the political components agree.

As for the civilian component, the writer and political analyst Ashraf Abdel Aziz confirms that the civil forces had a constant desire to reach an agreement and understandings, and the military often fueled strife and conflicts, but they retreated after they felt a complete failure, and they had no choice but to accept a peaceful political solution to resolve the crisis. that they made.

Abdel Aziz considered that the ball is still in the hands of the military, as there are still some pending issues, especially those related to transitional justice and procedural immunities, as well as issues of dismantling the June 30 regime.

official statements

Official statements regarding this agreement continued, as the representative of the participating civil forces said that the agreement aims to unite the Sudanese under the banner of the project to establish a civil authority in order to complete the democratic transition and achieve the goals of the revolution.

As for the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, he said that the agreement means agreement on national issues, for which solutions must be developed with the broad participation of political forces.

For his part, Muhammad Hamdan Hamidti, Vice-President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, affirmed that building a democratic state requires recognition and apology for the state's mistakes towards the Sudanese people, and achieving transitional justice to redress grievances, as he put it.

The UN representative in Sudan, Volker Peretz, also considered that the signing of the framework political agreement between civil forces and the Sovereignty Council was the result of the efforts of the Sudanese parties to find a solution to the crisis and restore constitutional order.

Meanwhile, areas in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, witnessed protests called for by what are known as the resistance committees, in rejection of the political agreement signed between civil forces and the Sovereignty Council.