What happened today in Sudan was not a surprise to the observer of the political crisis afflicting the country, and the escalating conflict between the two components of the government that reached its climax during the past two weeks, foreshadowing the civil war between the supporters of both the military component and the civilian component in the Transitional Sovereignty Council, who competed in mobilizing processions and organizing sit-ins. .

Today's coup appears to be unique, its condition, its preludes, the context in which it comes, and the regional and international reactions towards it, and perhaps its results, compared to the previous coups and attempted coups in the Sudanese experience in particular and the African experience in general.

The coup coincides with the start of the countdown to the Sudanese transitional period that followed the overthrow of ousted President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Less than a month before the scheduled date for the handover of the leadership of the ruling Transitional Council to a civilian, the military component turned against the civilian component, and the proof came out declaring the end of The "legitimacy of compromise" between the two sides, and "the coup of compromise into a conflict that threatens the security of the homeland."

Al-Burhan had previously warned last month that the army would only hand over power to a government elected by the Sudanese people, in an early indication that it might not adhere to the previously agreed timetable, which called on the council to be led by a military figure for a period of 21 months, followed by a civilian for 18 months. next.

Under the plan, the handover was due to take place sometime in November, with the new civilian leader chosen by a coalition of unions and political parties that led the uprising against Bashir.

Today, Al-Burhan took more than 9 hours to formulate his statement, which took 8 minutes to be broadcast on the official Sudanese TV.

From the early hours of the day until noon this morning, the state television was waiting for “Statement No. 1”, where it warned of “an urgent … an important statement from the Chairman of the Sudanese Leadership Council”, but waiting for this urgent matter exceeded many hours until the proof appeared on the screen to recite the statement.

During these hours, the official TV broadcast most of what is in its archive of Sudanese national songs in different stages and eras, by great singers, most of whom are gone, in addition to other national songs, individual and collective, for younger generations, accompanied by video clips showing the beauty of the country, perhaps alleviating boredom for those waiting for confirmation. Certain.

In his statement, Al-Burhan did not forget to express gratitude and thanks to the "neighbors, friends and brothers" who supported Sudan in its crisis, but he did not mention anyone by name, leaving the door open to deducing the names and diligence in identifying them and determining the motives of each of them.

Sudanese flock to the streets of Khartoum to protest the coup (Anatolia)

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Al-Burhan’s delay in delivering his statement for hours may be understood from the desire of the man and the rest of the influential military to test Western and American responses in particular, especially since the coup came after the intense meetings held by the American envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, with the parties to the crisis in Khartoum.

And before the official Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) stopped broadcasting any local or other news, it reported - yesterday, Sunday - that Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok met - at his residence in the afternoon - Feltman, in a third meeting in two days, to continue the discussion on ways Exiting the current political crisis, with the presence of the American Chargé d'Affairs in the country, Brian Shawkan.

The meeting came at the end of meetings that Feltman held yesterday also with Al-Burhan, his deputy, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the head of the Justice and Equality Movement, Jibril Ibrahim, and the head of the "Sudan Liberation Army" Minni Arko Minawi.

"SUNA" stated that Feltman "expressed to the Prime Minister his optimism that there could be a way out of the current crisis in a way that enhances the path of civil democratic transformation in the country, and in a way that leads to the completion of the constitutional document and the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan, and in a way that achieves the aspirations of the Sudanese people for a better future."

Feltman also expressed - according to the agency - the United States' commitment to "supporting the democratic transition in Sudan, provided the Sudanese leadership adheres to the constitutional document signed in 2019, and the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020, which was agreed upon between the Sudanese parties."

The optimism expressed by the US envoy and his country's commitment to supporting the democratic transition in Sudan is not commensurate with his reaction to what was reported about the coup. The word revolution.

Not far from the American reaction, the position of the European Union, which was announced by its High Representative for Foreign and Security Affairs Josep Borrell, that the Union is following the current events in Sudan with "great concern", and that it "calls on all stakeholders and regional partners to return the transition process to the right track."


As for China - Sudan's first economic support and its main international partner during the days of US and Western sanctions, and the owner of important investments in it - it urged "all Sudanese parties to resolve their differences through dialogue, in order to maintain peace and stability in the country," stressing at the same time that it will continue to follow up on the unrest. closely and will take "necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and employees there."

Perhaps the most prominent reaction of the “neighboring and brotherly” countries, whom Al-Burhan praised in his statement, is the Egyptian reaction. After the statement was announced, Cairo called on all “brotherly” Sudanese parties to “restraint and give priority to the supreme interest and national consensus in the country.”

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that it "closely follows the recent developments in Sudan, and that the security and stability of Sudan are an integral part of the security and stability of Egypt and the region." brotherly country.

Indoor Mode

But it seems that the internal reactions are the most influential in the situation, and it is feared that the peaceful expression rejecting the coup will evolve into clashes and violent clashes with the security forces, leading to the worst, after it seemed that Sudan’s path towards democracy is still unpaved, and leads to a state of uncertainty. .

On the ground, thousands of people flocked to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city, Omdurman, to protest the military coup.

Pictures posted on the Internet showed demonstrators blocking streets and lighting tires, while security forces used tear gas to disperse them, amid talk of a massive arrest campaign.

Absorbing this situation is not an easy task, to be tempered by Al-Burhan's promises in his statement to complete the democratic transition in the country, and his saying, "A new technocratic government will lead Sudan to elections."

If the drafting of an 8-minute statement took about 9 hours, how much time would the proof take to translate his promises into a practical reality that the Sudanese would accept?

Will slow become the destiny of Sudan and the Sudanese in crucial issues?

Especially since since al-Bashir was ousted, Sudan has slowly emerged from the status of an "international pariah" with which it was stigmatized, and the country was removed from the US's list of terrorism sponsors in 2020, opening the door to much-needed foreign loans and investment.

Will Al-Burhan and his group bet on another friend whose name he did not mention among those whom he thanked in general?